Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgeralds The Great...

Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotles definition. Jay Gatsby is an enormously rich man, and in the flashy years of the jazz age, wealth defined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels†¦show more content†¦Later, the concept develops into an obsession with money and more so, Daisy. Gatsbys tragic flaw lies within his inability to see that the real and the ideal cannot coexist. Gatsbys ideal is Daisy. He sees her as perfect and worthy of all his affections and praise. In reality she is undeserving and through her actions, proves she is pathetic rather than honorable. When Daisy says Sophisticated-God Im sophisticated (18), she contradicts who she really is. The reader sees irony here, knowing she is far from sophisticated, but superficial, selfish and pathetic. Gatsbys vision is based on his belief that the past can be repeated, cant repeat the past? Why of course you can (111)! The disregard for reality is how Gatsby formulates his dream (with high expectations), and the belief that sufficient wealth can allow one to control his or her own fate. Gatsby believes youth and beauty can be recaptured if he can only make enough money. To become worthy of Daisy, Gatsby accumulates his wealth, so he can rewrite the past and Daisy will be his. He establishes an i mmense fortune to impress the great love of his life, Daisy, who can only be won with evidence of material success. Over the five years in which Gatsby formulates this ideal, he envisions Daisy so perfect that he places her on a pedestal. As he attempts to make his ideal a reality things do not run as smoothly as he plans. Daisy can never live up to Gatsbys ideal, thoughShow MoreRelatedEssay on Jay Gatsby’s Dangerous Illusions in The Great Gatsby1253 Words   |  6 PagesJay’s Dangerous Illusions in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   America is a land of opportunity and hopes and dreams can become reality. The American Dream consists of the notion that the struggling poor can achieve financial success through hard work. F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby, puts this premise to the test while also warning against the dangers of believing too passionately in any dream. The central character, Jay Gatsby, proves a tragic hero who succeeds financially but failsRead More Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and the Tragic Hero Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and the Tragic Hero      Ã‚  Ã‚   Aristotle invented a list of criteria in an attempt to determine the exact definition of a tragic hero.   The list states the following - the tragic hero must cause his own down fall; the tragic heros fate is undeserved; the tragic heros punishment exceeds his crime; the tragic hero must be a great and noble person according to the standards of the current society.   In Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby can be defined as a tragicRead MoreEssay on Jay Gatsby: A Tragic Hero1084 Words   |  5 Pages (Aristotle) The â€Å"tragic hero† is an indefatigable staple in all mediums of literature. Although the term’s defining characteristics have morphed since its initial inception by Aristotle those many millennia ago, the main idea has endured. To be a tragic hero, several requirements must be met. The formula begins with a character that possesses noble and admirable qualities. Then come imperfections to make him appear human and believable, and finally the tragic hero is completed when he experiencesRead MoreEssay about F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby1480 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Any American is taught a dream that is purged of all truth. The American Dream is shown to the world as a belief that anyone can do anything; when in reality, life is filled with impossible boundaries. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse into the life of the upper class during the roaring twenties through the eyes of a moralistic young man named Nick Carraway. It is through the narrators dealings with the upper class thatRead MoreEssay Jay Gatsby: The Tragic Hero in The Great Gatsby1332 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle, a tragic hero character can be defined to be of noble status, but not necessarily virtuous. There is some aspect of his personality that he has in great abundance but it is this that becomes his tragic flaw and leads to his ultimate demise. However, his tragic ending should not simply sadden the reader, but teach him or her a life lesson. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is the tragic hero who portrays the corru ption of the American dream through his tragic flaw. HisRead MoreViews of Entitlement in the Great Gatsby1596 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Gatsby as Fitzgerald’s explanation of an American Reality which contradicts the American Dream That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boys school; a poor boy in a rich mans club at Princeton.... However, I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works.   —F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters, ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Scribners, 1994. pg. 352. The Great Gatsby, by F. ScottRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgeralds Personl Influences on The Great Gatsby1762 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.† (Fitzgerald, 1925). The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925, and takes place in 1922. The novel greatly exemplifies the time period that it takes place in, known as â€Å"The Roaring Twenties† or â€Å"The Jazz Age†. One way of exemplification is prohibition and the Volstead Act. According to David J. Hanson from Potsdam.edu, the Volstead Act, which took place in 1919, establishedRead MoreDeath of the American Dream in Fitgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay1396 Words   |  6 Pages The American Dream is dead. This is the main theme in F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby. In the novel Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse into the life of the high class during the roaring twenties through the eyes of a moralistic young man named Nick Carraway. It is through the narrators dealings with high society that readers are shown how modern values have transformed the American Dreams pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power and further, how the world of high societyRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise1382 Words   |  6 Pagescareer, Fitzgerald wrote many works, traveled the world, and served in the United States Army. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote mostly short stories but became famous because of his novel This Side of Paradise and became even more famous because of The Great Gatsby which was released in 1925. The time period in which Fitzgerald lived played an extensive role in his work. Fitzgerald is one of the all time greatest American authors solely of the fact that his works displayed â€Å"The American Dream.† This bringsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Comparative Essay1049 Words   |  5 Pagesantagonist of Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic, Jay Gatsby, is revealed to the reader throughout the novel, creating a sense of mystery around his character, his past and his future. The quasi - fantastical pictorial of the same name, by Greenberg, also follows this reveal, portraying Gatsbys world and evoking a lingering curiosity. Initially, in both novel and graphic novel, the reader is set up to expect the worst. In the introduction of the novel by Fitzgerald, Nick states ‘ No- Gatsby turned out

A Change of Plans Free Essays

Joey Hildreth Dr. Weston Composition 1 September 12, 2012 A Change of Plans Making a plan to do something is a normal occurrence in human life. People make plans to go see a movie, to go out to dinner, and to hang out with their friends all on a regular basis. We will write a custom essay sample on A Change of Plans or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sometimes life can send unexpected events that can change those plans. I am sure this has happened to everyone at least once where things didn’t go exactly the way they had planned. To this day I would consider myself a good driver; however, I recall a driving experience where things did not go quite the way I had planned. I had made plans to go to Cedar Point with a friend, and we were going to meet up with someone we had met the last time we were at Cedar Point. My friend and I had both bought season passes in early June. It was the first summer that I had a car and we figured we could drive to Cedar Point once a month until it closed for the year. We had gone once with my friend’s family in late June, and another time with my parents in late July. In early August we decided that we needed to make another trip up before school started and we would have a schedule to work around. Since there had been no more family trips planned, we were determined to make the drive by ourselves. I must have begged my mom to let me drive without parental supervision at least a thousand times. Only after I had promised her I would be careful, responsible, and follow the speed limit that she even considered it. After that it took many more pleads before she finally gave in. I still remember our conversation when she finally told me we would be allowed to make the trip. â€Å"Fine, but if you want to go you need to have Taylor text me every half hour so I know that you guys are still alright, and you have to call me as soon as you get there. While you’re at Cedar Point, you’ll text me every 2 hours to check in,† she said. â€Å"Alright Mom,† I replied as I hid excitement piling up inside me. â€Å"I’m not finished yet,† she said and paused for me to pay attention â€Å"and you will leave no later than nine O’clock. If you don’t call or text, you better believe after you get home you won’t have a car either. † Saturday morning I left my house and headed over to Taylor’s to pick him up. It was no surprise to me that I had to wait for him to finish getting ready when I arrived. After the usual groans of â€Å"Come on† and â€Å"You’re a guy, you don’t need make-up, let’s go† we were finally ready to leave. We loaded our things into the car and got ready to take off. I popped in a CD I had burned that consisted of songs I knew well. I pulled out the driveway and drove off down the road; both windows down and the stereo blaring. We were nearing the halfway point when life decided to throw in an unexpected event. I was driving down a country road going 55 when I saw a groundhog crossing the street. He was near the middle of the road when I saw him and I didn’t know what to do. This was no ordinary groundhog, this groundhog was the sizeHe started to run towards the left side of the road, and then he turned around and darted back to my side. I slammed the brakes and swerved to the right. Just before my tires hit the gravel on the side of the road, I felt a slight a bump and heard a deep thud. As I realized I was going to go off-road I quickly turned the wheel to the left to try to correct myself. When I did this, my car fishtailed and threw itself into the ditch. â€Å"Oh my god! Are you alright Tay? † I asked. â€Å"Uh, yeah,† he responded with wide eyes. We both got out of the car to see what the damage was. At first everything seemed fine other than a small crack in my front bumper; until Tay pointed out that I had a flat tire. I called my mom to tell her what happened, and she was not a happy camper. I did not have a spare tire so she told me that she would call the American Automobile Association (AAA). Shortly after she called me back and said a tow truck was on the way. Once he arrived he loaded the car onto the tow truck, and I had quite the story to tell him about how life had thrown a change of plans to me. How to cite A Change of Plans, Essay examples

Alcohol abuse among the elderly Essay Example For Students

Alcohol abuse among the elderly Essay Alcohol abuse among the elderly Essay Population Alcohol abuse among the elderly is a widespread problem through the United States. It is hard to discover by physicians and medical providers, because many of these people have been abusing alcohol secretly for years. The population is extremely unlikely to admit that they have problems with alcohol, especially during a routine health care visit. As many as 15% of the population over 65 may be heavy drinkers, although this number is hard to pin down. Elderly people usually drink due to depression, loneliness and lack of social support. Most alcohol abuse comes from a lifetime history; whereas others develop alcoholic drinking patterns later in life. Alcoholism accounts for more than 15% of health care costs in the elderly. It is associated with an estimated 100,000 deaths per year in the United States. Alcohol consumption can produce both benefits and risks. In terms of benefits, men who drink two to six alcoholic beverages per week have decreased mortality rates and lower cardiovascular disease when compared with abstainers. On the negative side, two studies of 300,000 men demonstrated increased mortality among those consuming more than 2 to 3 drinks daily. Women, are more affected by less alcohol than men, perhaps because they have a lower blood volume, and so its distribution and decreased activity for gastric alcohol dehydrogenase are increased. The primary care physician plays an important role in making the diagnosis and in helping the older alcoholic receive proper medical and psychological care. As patients grow older, and develop conditions that require prescription and over the counter medications, opportunities for dangerous alcohol/drug interactions increase. Elderly patients should be encouraged to monitor their alcohol intake so that it does not conflict with their medications. When a problem is identified, begin by counseling patients and the family. Increased social support may be all that is needed to stop excessive alcohol consumption by some older patients. Reference Butler, Robert (June, 1998) Alcoholism and the later years. Geriatrics pg. 1-2. Words / Pages : 357 / 24 .