I was wondering if any of the novels we've read recently, such as Catch 22 or The Great Gatsby, impacted anyone's opinions on anything in their lives, and how?
Personally, The Great Gatsby reaffirmed my belief that material wealth has little to no bearing on one's happiness. Gatsby's amazing wealth means nothing to me, and no one's wealth does, for that matter. The Great Gatsby confirmed my belief that the most important thing anyone can have in life is happiness; Nick wasn't wealthy at all, yet he was far more happy and stable than Gatsby. Even though it would be nice to be rich, my wealth would mean nothing if I had no true friends.
Just a thought
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I feel like I keep bringing everything back to The Awakening, but I feel like it fits well in this topic. Edna discovered that she does not need a man to be successful and happy. I do not necessarily believe women can do everything without men, but I think women can be successful on their own. This is not as much of a problem as it was during the time of The Awakening, but it still exists in some ways. Also, there are many girls, probably mostly teenagers, who think the only way to be happy is with a boy. I definitely do not think men are the key to happiness.
ReplyDeleteI feel that all the books we have read have impacted my opinions, but recently Gatsby and Catch-22 have shown me the importance of your unique identity. Gatsby showed that if you lose yourself in something or someone then... well you could very well end up shot in the back. Catch-22 reaffirmed that life is so delicate, and only happens once and to make the best of it, especially through humor. Both Catch and Gatsby can apply very well to our time and issues also. The roaring 20's were all about excess and I see that all around now, and I feel remorse because I feel that we as Americans have not learned from our past as much as we should. The war of course can be applied to Catch, and even though not as severe as portrayed in Catch-22 the war still is the destructive killer during our time. It makes me so uneasy to know people are still dying for our country and for anothers safety, while there are people protesting the war and trying to disrupt an action that we have to follow through with.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. B, even though we haven't all liked every book, this is the most enjoyable reading list I've had so far.
The Great Gatsby mearly confirmed my belief that the American Dream isn't all that it seems to be. Many Americans (even today) seem to believe taht money will bring happiness, that being rich, popular, and having many mistresses will make you feel whole and happy. I have always believed that money and materialistic iteams have nothing to do with happiness. I believe that the people that are extremely wealthy tend to put on a mask in public but feel shallow, and empty. The rich begin to rely on materialistic pleasures from life while those that are not that well off are able to cherish the small things in life. Money makes life easier but easier does not mean happier.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jenna:
ReplyDeleteI was focused on the more recent novels that we have read in class that I did not even consider the effects of earlier novels.
The Awakening has made me think about modern life. I believe that even today women struggle to gain independence and many are still coddled by men. The Awakening could also apply to men. Today there is a large stuggle especially among teenagers to discover their identities. You see teens rebeling against schools, government, and parents because they feel the need to show others that they are individuals.
So I was reading through everyone's comments, and something that Maryssa said really caught my eye. She said something about how we truly have not learned as much from our past as we should have, which I agree with 100%. Our history teachers and even some of our other teachers, have always told us that it is important for one to know about his past, so that he can have a future. We spend lots of time in history class in school studying the past, but what do we really pull from it and apply to our own lives? We learn very little in school about moral values, and I understand that it is mostly because they vary from person to person. However, I do think that ideas like those in Catch-22 and the Great Gatsby are those that should be reiterated from year to year, because they are universal ideas. I feel as though it is important for us to learn about and understand the value of a human life or how lacking in value material possessions truly are, and our class discussions show that most of you agree. So why is it that we spend so much time learning, if at all, the names and dates of people and events of the past if they mean nothing to the way we live our lives and treat other people? Even more importantly, when the exceptional teachers do make time to teach valuable life lessons, why is it that they are negatively judged for teaching “non-traditional” material and asked to remove those lessons from their curriculum?
ReplyDeleteI feel like Gatsby made me feel happy for what I have. It made me realize that I don't really need any of the materialistic things to be happy, that all we really want in life is companionship and not to get too greedy with life. It made me appreciate all the little things I have, and how better off I am than some other people.
ReplyDeleteGatsby has influenced me the most, but that might be because it's the most recent novel we've read. Even so, it helped me to realize that I should be happy with what I have. Gatsby's life of excess brought him nothing but ruin. It shows that you don't need possessions to be happy, but companionship, whether it be from friends or more.
ReplyDelete