The Damage Of The American Dream Character Analysis

The Damage of the American Dream The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, wonderfully shows how the values of characters in the novel set the time period of the 1920s. The major characters in the story has clear motives and values which helps the reader understand high society before The Great Depression, and give a clear indication that the theme of the book is a twisted view of the American Dream. Nick Carraway is the first persona we are introduced to and arguably the most important; as he is the narrator of the book. He is a down to earth, non-judgemental man that comes from a wealthy family in the mid-west. Nick longs for excitement after returning from The Great War and decides to take up the bond business in New York. Nick is one†¦show more content†¦The most blatant offense is pinning the murder of Myrtle Wilson on Gatsby, but there is a more complex example. Fitzgerald stated in chapter one â€Å"No- Gatsby turned out alright in the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust that floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.† (7). In my opinion, the foul dust that floated behind Gatsby’s dreams was Daisy herself. She was Gatsby’s dream, and his dream was the American Dream, but Gatsby’s illusion that she would bring him happiness is what shatt ered him. Daisy wasn’t able to make tough decisions The man who lends his name to the book itself, Jay Gatsby, is the main player in this worlds stage. Everything that he does in the book is a vain effort to get reunite with a woman he dated for a month five years ago. The only problem is that Jay wanted more from Daisy than she could possibly offer. It wasn’t enough to say that she loved Gatsby, she had to have never loved Tom. Gatsby is thought provoking in that he wasn’t a person of high birth brought a reverse of fortune because of his weak character, his demise was because of the people he tried to imitate; a crowd of rich hypocrites that would sneer at a man like him only because of the courage his liquor gave them. Gatsby is the ultimate representation of the American Dream up until a little before his death. He literally and figuratively made a name forShow MoreRelatedTextual Analysis of Alexie’s â€Å"Because my Father Always Said...†1683 Words   |  7 Pages Textual Analysis Essay Textual Analysis of Alexie’s â€Å"Because my Father Always Said...† America truly is the salad bowl of cultures from around the whole world. However, there is often times a dominating cultural structure that makes it difficult to attain peace among the diverse cultural groups of America. 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U.s. Foreign Policy Approaches - 1424 Words

The United States (U.S.) uses two approaches to their foreign policy. The first approach is realism. This viewpoint stresses that the principal actors, states, will pursue their own interests in an anarchical world. States will try to establish a balance of power that restrains aggressive states from dominating weaker ones. The second approach is idealism. This view stresses that states should transform the system into a new international order where peace can prevail. This approach emphases the spread of democracy across the world and the creation of international institutions. Realism and idealism provides an explanation to how U.S. foreign policy has developed since World War Two (WWII), identifies which influential factors play a role in both foreign policy approaches, and determines which view has best served the pursuit of national interests. The realist and idealist approaches are important in explaining the swinging pendulum path American foreign policy took since WWII. Over the past seventy years, U.S. foreign policy switches between these two approaches. After WWII ended, idealistic U.S. policymakers believed that cooperation between the United States and Soviet Union would transform the world to a more cooperative and peaceful one. This idealistic belief was quickly demolished by the Soviet expansions in Turkey and Greece and the destruction of the hopes of U.S.-Soviet cooperation after WWII. So, U.S. policymakers switched to a realist approach in aShow MoreRelatedThe War On Terror : An Example Of All Three Foreign Policy Tools Is Afghanistan Essay1303 Words   |  6 PagesWar on Terror required utilizing pre-emptive war, regime change, and unilateralism. An example of all three foreign policy tools is Afghanistan. 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Oedipus Rex †Entrapment of Mankind Through Reasoning Free Essays

For example, when Alias and Oedipus Rexes were reveled with their prophecies, they tried to divert themselves away from it. As a result, they reverted themselves into the prophecy, therefore fulfilling it. Although man tries to control their own fate, in reality, such control is impossible and cannot be possessed. We will write a custom essay sample on Oedipus Rex – Entrapment of Mankind Through Reasoning or any similar topic only for you Order Now Through the use of Oedipus’ life decisions, diction, and connotation of words to display the idea that man’s most powerful attribute fails mankind. In other words, through Oedipus Rexes, Sophocles shows that reasoning cannot give mankind the power and control they sire. Therefore, such control and power for mankind does not exist. Oedipus Rexes proves that man’s most powerful attribute Is reasoning. Sophocles gives his readers the idea that mankind is trapped through their most powerful attribute. Oedipus Rexes believed that he could escape the reality of his prophecy through his attempts to reason throughout it. However, his aim to avoid the prophecy using reason failed him. As the prophecy was revealed to Oedipus, he believed he could avoid it by leaving Corinth and the family whom he believed was his own blood. However, this thought of his is what failed him and lead to Oedipus actually fulfilling the prophecy. This decision leads mankind to believe that they can control their life through reasoning. As Oedipus moves onto Thebes, he crosses through the road where three roads meet. At this exact road, he meets Alias, his father, whom he does not know. Alias and Oedipus begin a feud start brawling with one another. Thus, completed. Although Oedipus continues onto Thebes and solves the sphinx’s riddle, his success leads him into the second part of his prophecy being fulfilled as he meets Coast, marries her, bears children with her, and birth children of incest. In spite of the fact that Oedipus’ best characteristic is his constant attempt to reason, it’s his exact reasoning and questioning that lead him to the â€Å"truth† of the prophecy. Despite Oedipus’ failed attempts to control the prophecy, Alias is also another culprit of failed attempts to reason. Alias, King of Thebes, birth a child with Coast and believed that he could become the next ruler of Thebes. However, a prophecy was told to Alias that his own son would soon murder him and take over. At this very moment, he decides It’s best to bind Oedipus’ feet and send him away to die. He does not realize, however, that this decision leads him Into the entrapment of his own life. He fulfills the actual prophecy when he tries to take Oedipus out of his life. This Is another failed attempt of reason. Therefore, man’s most powerful attribute of proves that reasoning brings mankind doom. As Alias did not want his baby to kill him, he sends the baby away. The Old man sees the baby and picks it up because no mortal being would see a baby hurt and abandoned without having to pick it up. He gives the baby to his King of Thebes because he knows they cannot bare a child, feeling pity for them all. Oedipus himself hears about the prophecy and runs away from it. All these people, all these steps were made from attempts to reason and control the world, when in reality, it ultimately failed. Mankind cannot use their so- called â€Å"most powerful attribute of reasoning† to control their lives. If reasoning brings doom to mankind, what is the purpose of reasoning itself? Sophocles answers this question by proving through Oedipus Rexes that reasoning traps mankind, making mankind limited. The Chorus, whom supports Oedipus the most out of all characters of the play, reveal their thoughts and true emotion towards the doom of Oedipus. Through their character, Sophocles conveys the pity one may feel towards Oedipus whom was a great man dealt with UN inevitable doom. In a passage by the Chorus on pig. 18, they stated, â€Å"A prince of men/ Whose loot what citizen/ Did not with Emmy see,] How Deep the billows of calamity/Above him roll/Watch therefore and regard that supreme day;/And of no mortal say/That man is happy,† datelined by no grievous ill/He pass Life’s goal In this passage, the Chorus shows how great of a man Oedipus was, nonetheless, how great of a King he was. He was not only great because of his role as King, he was great because he reasons. However, this characteristic of constant reasoning, to pursue and search for the truth leads to the fulfillment of the prophecy. When the Chorus says, â€Å"billows of calamity’, they talk about the mass destruction Oedipus was placed in. On that day, he was realized he entrapped himself into the prophecy. Therefore, Oedipus acts as a representation of mankind, conveying the idea that seasoning dooms us all and traps mankind. Mankind is under the illusion that control exists and reason works. Through the first half of the stanza, the Chorus exemplifies their support for Oedipus. He was a Prince out of all the men, who gained respect and order from his people. After Oedipus discovered his tragic state in the prophecy, such a situation could not be explained. It was disastrous, catastrophic, devastating, but all these words do not show how grievous this day was for Oedipus. He believed he escaped the prophecy and lead to be a King, a King of whom many honored. He set out to believe that he must save his city from disaster, from the plague, when he was the plague himself. The Chorus tells the readers to watch the day Oedipus fell into the prophecy and learn that no human being is lucky. No man has a goal, for their most powerful attribute fails them ultimately. Therefore, no man is lucky until they are dead. Sophocles shows through Oedipus Rexes that reasoning cannot give mankind the power and control that they desire. Through the understanding of the way Alias and Oedipus both failed at their attempts to reason and the Journey Oedipus invests myself into throughout the play, readers are able to see how Oedipus portrays a representation of mankind. Through his representation, one may find that although doom upon him. This leads to the idea that reasoning fails mankind and the purpose of reasoning is invalid. Sophocles uses Oedipus life decisions, diction, and connotation of words to display the idea that man’s most powerful attribute fails mankind. Although man tries to control their own fate, in reality, such control is impossible and cannot be be possessed. How to cite Oedipus Rex – Entrapment of Mankind Through Reasoning, Papers

French Revolution free essay sample

The French Revolution The French Revolution was one of the most significant turning points in French history. It changed France completely, and brought a lot of positive results to France, even there were some negative results as well. Abolishing Feudalism is addressed during the National Assembly’s Decree, which is described in document 1. It attempts to make everyone pay taxes, doesnt matter what estate you are. However, it also gives people equal rights to work in different positions and dignities. In document 2, The Declaration of the Right s of Man gives everybody the freedom of speech, equality in law, and proportional taxation. Document 3 is a French political cartoon, â€Å"Patience, My Lord, Your Turn is Coming†. In this cartoon, a lady who seems like someone from the Church, which is the first estate, is waiting to be squeezed and turn skinny. This symbolizes that her wealth and power would be taken, and there would be more equality in the society. We will write a custom essay sample on French Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In document 5, we could see that the national Convention’s Law of the Maximum fixes the highest price for prime necessities, and persons who sell higher than the maximum of the price will need to pay fine. One of the causes of the French Revolution was the unfair tax system Only the third estate, which was the poorest one, needed to pay the tax. However, throughout the revolution, the tax system changed into everyone needed to pay tax, doesn’t matter what estate you are, everyone pay the same, therefore, it was extremely hard for the third estate. Apparently, even the taxation has been changed, that wasn’t fair enough, and in document 2, we could see that Declaration of the Rights of Man fixed the tax into proportional taxation. In the other hand, the government started to pay attention to the equal rights. As a result, people could all get a work. By looking at document 3, we see that in order to achieve the real equality, the first estate’s wealth and power are getting taken, instead, all the other estates would have some power. Freedom of Speech and equality in law were also addressed in Declaration of the Rights of Man, so citizens could speak, and also question the officers. By fixing the high prices of prime necessities, people did not need to suffer as before, since they could get what they need. People would be satisfied with the government and their lives. Children could also all go  to school for free, doesn’t matter if you were a girl or a boy, doesn’t matter what estate you were, they could all get knowledge. People could all be protected by the law, and also be punished if someone did something wrong. Those are all the positive results of French Revolution. They turned the government from feudalism into democracy. The society was better organized, and people got their rights. However, there were also negative results. One of the most significant one is the Reign of Terror. People that were going against the revolution all got executed. It is estimated that about 40,000 people died during this 15 month period. It was a great horror in France; It established a fear in the French people to have any counter-revolutionary feelings. That was also the end of French Revolution. Overall, there were countless positive results of French Revolution. Even there were some negative results; it was still a successful revolution. The society was benefit from the revolution; Equality and justice were brought to France. French Revolution ended the social inequality and the economic hardship.