Choose any topic of interest that we have discussed in class (or not discussed, if you have a new one) in relation to The Great Gatsby and explore it further. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

An idea/discussion that really interests me is the idea of whether if someone can repeat the past. In page 85, it says "I wouldn’t ask too much of her,” I ventured. “You can’t re-peat the past.” “Can’t repeat the past?” he cried incredulously. “Why of course you can!” Gatsby believes that you can repeat the past, and I agree with him. I just disagree with that situation; I think that he couldn't repeat that part of his past. I think that if an event is very vague and without a lot of detail, it is possible to repeat that event. In the book towards the end, it states something similar which is the last sentence of the book, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back cease-lessly into the past." It states that we will always be reminded about our past.

Describe what happens when Myrtle is killed in chapter 7. How did it happen? Who was to blame? Use textual evidence.

Describe what happens when Myrtle is killed in chapter 7. How did it happen? Who was to blame? Use textual evidence.

In chapter 7, Myrtle is killed by the yellow car that is Tom's. She ran out to the car because she wanted to see Tom. Wilson, her husband, was beating her and telling her that they were going to move out of The Valley of Ashes. However, Tom does not kill Myrtle; Daisy kills Myrtle. Her death was instant as they say on page 139, "Auto hit her. Ins'antly killed." Also, it was very violent. On page 137, it describes her death, "...they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap...The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners." Their is confusion over who hit her. Tom believes it was Gatsby (page 141, "He didn't even stop his car."), while Nick find outs that is was Daisy on page     143, when he asks Gatsby. Towards the end of the chapter, Gatsby stays at Daisy's house and looks over her by seeing if anything goes wrong. Nick goes home even though he is invited by Jordan. 

On Thursday, we took a field trip to two very different neighborhoods to look for food. Examine how this experience might influence your understanding of the social stratification in The Great Gatsby (thing the Eggs vs. the Valley of Ashes). Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Monday Blog Post:

On Thursday, we took a field trip to two very different neighborhoods to look for food. Examine how this experience might influence your understanding of the social stratification in The Great Gatsby (thing the Eggs vs. the Valley of Ashes). Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

I believe that the two trips help us see the huge difference when it comes to how the money within the neighborhoods affect the quality and quantity of food. It helped me understand the visual of how the Valley of Ashes would look. It was hard to image how it was described on page 23, "...A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air." Also, it was hard to compare it with how it might look today in this generation. Then, we saw the differences with the neighborhoods, and it helped me see the huge differences within the two. It helped me understand how the poor class where put to belong and stay in the poor class while the rich where meant to stay and belong in the rich class. The way the system was set up made it hard for the poor class to get out of the poor class. It truly makes me question the American Dream, and I think this is what Nick questions too. He questions it when he visits the Valley of Ashes. This trip truly made me understand social stratification in the story. 

"So far, Nick Carraway has made two statements about his principles. At the beginning of the book, on page 1, he states, "I'm inclined to reserve all judgements..." Then, a the end of chapter 3, on page 59, he claims, "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." Comment on whether you believe these statements to be true about Nick. Include evidence from the text."

"So far, Nick Carraway has made two statements about his principles. At the beginning of the book, on page 1, he states, "I'm inclined to reserve all judgements..." Then, a the end of chapter 3, on page 59, he claims, "I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." Comment on whether you believe these statements to be true about Nick. Include evidence from the text."

I believe that the statements that Nick said about himself are false. The first statement he makes, " I'm inclined to reserve all judgments..." In my opinion, they are false due to the text in Chapter 1, on page 2, he states that "Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope." He says that it is not possible to save your judgements because it is human nature. Also, there is several examples where he judges people. An example would be in Chapter 3, on page 48, "I had expected that Mr.Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years."  Also, I believe that Nick is not honest as honest as he says he is. First of all, we see the whole story through his perspective, so we would never really see if he lies. In Chapter 2, on page 24, "Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her - but I did." He should be honest and certain about wanting to meeting her, so it wasn't honest. The statements were not true about his principles, and I wonder what other principles he will mention throughout the story. 

What information about income inequality surprised or disturbed you the most? Explore some reasons why you think this information surprised or disturbed you.

What information about income inequality surprised or disturbed you the most? Explore some reasons why you think this information surprised or disturbed you.

A piece of information about income inequality surprised me was the fact that 1% owned the United States' wealth. It did not only surprise me, but it disturbed me due to the reason that the lower class had a little money or no money. It disturbs me is because the hard working poor class do not receive the money they work for. The American Dream is false when it comes to the income equality. It is one of the reasons as to why this surprises/disturbs me a lot.

Final Blog Post Of The Fall Semester

1. What did you do this semester in ELA that was most meaningful to you, and why was it meaningful?

This semester in ELA the most meaningful thing I did was the essay for Maus. It was meaningful to me due to the reason that I learned a lot from it such as how to cite a website in MLA Format. Also, I learned how to properly write an analytic essay without “in my opinion” or basically how to write confidently!

2. What was the most challenging thing about ELA this semester, and why?

The most challenging thing about ELA this semester was keeping up with my reading and making sure I speak up during seminar. It was pretty challenging because

3. What would you like to change about ELA, and why?

Something I would like to change about ELA is the turns we have to take for the response projects. I would like to change it because I feel like it would be hard to choose creative writing or an essay for the project I want. However, a solution would be to set a balanced amount of writing we have to turn in for the semester. For example, if we have six books to read we would need to have three essays and three creative stories by the end of the semester.

4. What would you like to stay the same in ELA, and why?

Something I would like to stay the same in ELA would be the books we are reading! They are very good books, and I truly enjoy reading them! Another thing, I would like ELA to stay the same about is the response projects along with the books.

5. I really enjoyed this semester, and I hope to improve more throughout the school year! Thank you Ms.Harrison!

Find three heroic epithets. Explain how you think these epithets were useful to the singer of poems in the Greek oral tradition.

Find three heroic epithets. Explain how you think these epithets were useful to the singer of poems in the Greek oral tradition.

On page 45, there is a heroic epithet. "And red-haired Menelaus..." The heroic epithet is the fact that he has red hair.

On page 219, "And you answered me, Eumaeus, my swineherd:" Eumaeus being the swineherd is the heroic epithet.

On page 196, Poseidon is described as the Lord of Earthquake(which is pretty awesome). "And Poseidon, the Lord of Earthquake:"

I believe that these epithets helped the singer of the poems in the Greek oral tradition. One of the ways, it helped was helping the singer and audience remember the characters, and who they are. Another reason, it helped the singer remember the time. For example, the hero epithet with Dawn and her fingers. It helped the singer and audience know whether it is day or night. Also, the hero epithets explained several characteristics that separated many of the similar names. It helped you acknowledge who were the gods and  mortals and their roles. There was many ways the hero epithets helped the singer.