C.+Gatsby+rap

Meredith Hill 11/18/10  __ The Great Gatsby __ As Americans, we dream and believe in possibilities because our freedoms and rights grant us the opportunity to become what we want and live the life we choose to live. From the Great Depression to the greatly similar state of today’s recession, the American Dream has shifted from the wanting of financial success to more freedoms and opportunities, respectively. The first American Dream was definition was coined in 1931, during the depression, and in James Trustlow’s book __The Epic of America.__ It explains, “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable” (see lye). In Scott F. Fitzgerald book, __The Great Gatsby__, two wealthy societies are living their American dream financially. The class that lives in the East Egg society consists of money inherited by them. They did not work hard for their success, and become successful starting with having nothing, like the West Egg society. Most characters that lived in the East Egg were morally corrupt. They were financially successful and could have anything they wanted. They did not have to work for their success and did not have happiness, because they did not hold value to anything. The West Egg society earned what they had and worked hard to become rich. Nick, the narrator, was looking to become rich and lived in his neighbor’s small house next door. His neighbor Gatsby, became his friend because Nick was not judgmental, and saw through the rumors made by the morally corrupt people. Gatsby wanted to become rich to earn the heart of Daisy who was his former love in his youth. He lost her when he was in the war because she married Tom, who was qualified as the man to give her anything she wanted in the “here” and “now”. Nick saw Gatsby’s die- hard effort to win her back and knew he had the best intentions, for Gatsby’s American Dream was to get rich and become worthy so he might be able to get Daisy back and make himself truly happy and successful. Nick’s goodbye to Gatsby showed he felt this way when he admitted, “They’re a rotten crowd… You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (Fitzgerald 154). All of the ways Gatsby earned his money did not make him a bad person, but the people of East Egg had a negative effect on him. Gatsby had good intentions and was trying to pursue his dream of happiness. As a free country, America has countless opportunities and advantages to take hold of. People might get more or less of these opportunities based on their societies and lifestyles. Therefore, people should not judge someone based on their success as an example, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,… just remember that all the people in this world have not had the advantages that you’ve had”(Fitzgerald 1). This shows how the people of East Egg took their advantages for granted and did not value and appreciate what they had or was given to them. This made their morals corrupt and made them fall into most of the situations they were in. They unfairly judged those who did not have money like them and underestimated them. They were not as lucky as the rich and did not get a head start in life like the rich did. They accomplished their American Dream by reaching the potential of their social stature, but they were not happy. Unlike these people, Gatsby’s dream were driven by things that he could not touch or use like money, but he valued the things he had and worked hard for.