Quotations and Connection Article

"The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath--already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the center of a group and then excited with triumph glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light" (Fitzgerald 44-45). 

The theme of this excerpt is Gatsby's party, and the almost magical mood experienced by those who attend. Fitzgerald uses upbeat diction with "laughter", "cheerful", "joyous", "excited", and "triumph" (44-45) to bring across the mood, of happiness and excitement, felt by those attending the party. This adds to Gatsby's perfect image, which Nick admires so deeply. He uses "lurches" (Fitzgerald 44), rather than a calmer, more typical verb, to describe the sunset, in order to emphasize the hectic and exciting nature of the party. Additionally, "lurching" is a much quicker action than "setting", and as time at the party seems to pass very quickly for the party goers, many of which do not want to be the first to leave, this is an appropriate description of how most at the party, especially in their drunken state, experienced the sunset. He uses scholarly diction when he describes the laughter as spilling with "prodigality" (Fitzgerald 44), in order to convey just how much laughter was occurring at the party, and the general mood of abundance and excess. He uses the metaphor of the "opera of voices" (Fitzgerald 44), as opposed to more explicitly describing the loud chatter of the party, to, again, add a magical, romantic quality to the party. He uses compound, complex, and comp-complex throughout, in order to sufficiently and eloquently describe the scene. As opposed to the short sentences Nick used when responding to Jordan's blatant lie, his description of the party is deep and extensive, reflecting his attitude, of great admiration, for Gatsby, and more importantly, his image.

http://i3advantage.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/smiling-baby.jpg

"He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that his had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey [...]" (Fitzgerald 52-53). 

The theme of this selection is Nick's initial interaction with Gatsby, and the way it makes Nick feel. Fitzgerald uses dramatic, romantic diction, such as "eternal", "whole external world", and "irresistible" (52-53) in order to convey Nick's strong admiration and liking for Gatsby, and the way he feels when around him. These words allow the reader to understand the emotional, somewhat irrational, attraction Nick feels for Gatsby's image. which will almost certainly clash with Gatsby's deeper personality, when revealed to Nick later in the book. Fitzgerald uses contradiction with, "He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly" (52), to bring across Nick's thought process. Nick initially assumed that the smile was just one of understanding, but after a moment's thought, realized it was much more, and in that instant, Nick's admiration for Gatsby was sparked. He uses parallelism with "understood" and "believed" (Fitzgerald 53) in order to make a connection between what one desires, but very rarely actually receives, from an interaction, with the way Gatsby actually acts. This, once again, intensifies the "perfect" image Nick has of Gatsby.  

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/30/363345372/for-these-millennials-gender-norms-have-gone-out-of-style

Many millennials find traditional gender roles to be too constraining, or "ill-fitting", as in an article of clothing that doesn't fit properly. Many mentioned in this article focus on the outward appearances generally considered to be appropriate for men and women. For example, many men prefer painting their nails and wearing women's clothes over traditionally masculine clothes, and many women prefer suits and masculine hairstyles over traditionally feminine styles. The article additionally mentions specifically the role of women in the classroom, and states that it is typically considered more feminine to listen, rather than to talk.

Daisy feels suppressed by her husband Tom, and even goes so far as to say that she hopes "[her daughter will be] a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" (Fitzgerald 21). She is referring to traditional gender norms, which dictated that males take the dominant positions in life, and women take the submissive roles. Just as in the article, women were expected to listen, more than speak, while men held the serious conversations. While Daisy does not outright denounce this expectation, she makes fun of Tom's idiotic and racist remarks, and Tom seems threatened by her intelligence, despite his machismo. Daisy, essentially, finds women's traditional roles "ill-fitting", and wishes to assume a role with which she is more comfortable, which would allow her more mental freedom.