Choose one of the following famous F. Scott Fitzgerald quotations. Indicate which quotation (by number) that you are blogging about. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, discuss what the quotation means to you. This should be approximately one full page in length (on a word document before posting it here). You can discuss how the quotation works in the Great Gatsby but also show your universal understanding and interpretation of the quotation too.
1. "one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
2. "there are no second acts in American lives."
3. "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."
"There are no second acts in American lives."
ReplyDeleteI picked this quote because I feel as though a lot of of people these day relate to this quote. In todays society many people are so caught up in life and and o stupid things. Many people do not get second chances. Most of us live our lives carefree. especially as teenagers. When we are teenagers many of us choose to do things that may not be the best choice. Some of these things may be going, to parties, drinking, sneaking out, or even driving to fast. We as a whole think we are invincible. Nothing can stop us and nothing will go wrong. We all seem to live our lives like we are forgetting a scene in a play or a movie we just skip parts. Some of these may even be important parts. Also the decisions we can are rash and sometimes don't have a lot of thought behind them. lI talked about how many teenagers go to parties and drink and make bad choices. When they do things like this bad things can happen. They could get alcohol poising, get very sick, get into fights, or drive drunk. Some of these things that i have listed could even lead to death. Once something of this measure is done there is nothing that can do to change it. We don't get any second chances or lives. Many people live like we do get second chances. When something like this happens to them they don't understand why it did or why they cant go back an change it.
This happens in the book the Great Gatsby. As we were reading we find out a lot about the characters in the book. One thing that most of the characters had in common was they all were careless and made mistakes. Many of which were covered up by money. Some of the events that happen were there are no second chances and the decision was rushed was when Myrtle was hit by the car. It shows how careless of a driver daisy really was. It also shows how when daisy hit her that she didn't even stop to go back and help. This shows how careless people were back then and how they really didn't care for anyone but themselves. There was no way to bring Myrtle back and Daisy really didn't even seem to be all that upset. Another time was at the end of the book when Wilson comes and shoots Gatsby and then shoots him self. By daisy being careless she killed a person and because of this action two more people suffered death because of that. There was no way to bring any of these people back. We see that Daisy doesn't seem to really care about any of them because her and Tom ends up running away and not attending any of the funeral. In the book all there lives just seem to go by so quickly and not just have time to relax. Everything was revolved around money and no cared what the outcome really was.
This is also how many people act like today. Our lives just seem to fly by. There is really no build up. I keep using the teenagers drinking because it fits this topic. We are given the privilege when we are 21 to legally start to drink. However many people are just skipping the stage of waiting and starting to drink at younger and younger ages. These teenagers are going to realize this when something dramatic happens because of the alcohol. This is how I feel this quote relates to the book The Great Gatsby and how it relates to everyday life.
Hayley, I really liked your blog this week and I think that most teenagers can relate to it very easily. The fact that you brought up the drinking at a young age shows that teenagers feel that they can make whatever decisions that they want and nothing bad can come from them. I think that saying that there are no second acts means that you can't take back what you have done and you can only move forward. You compared this to the Great Gatsby in a very understandable way. Daisy and Tom live their lives for themselves and they didn't care about other people. I agree with your statement about how they are careless people and they don't feel the need to be sorry for the mistakes they have made. I do think that teenagers feel pressure to grow up to fast and I think that you explained that really well in your blog.
DeleteHayley your blog this week is probably the best one you have ever written. I like how you related Fitzgerald’s quote to teens today. You are absolutely right when expressed the opinion that teens today are acting carelessly. This is just as similar to the characters in the novel Great Gatsby! In particular the careless characters are Daisy, Jordan, and the party members at Gatsby’s parties. Drinking and driving is also presented in the novel! I thought that was a great comparison! With the quote you chose about no second acts, this relates to many situations. If one drives drunk and gets into an accident the results or the outcome could be hazardous. People need to be more responsible and less careless because a life could be lost and that will haunt you to the day you die.
Delete"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."- Fitzgerald
ReplyDeleteQuote 3 by Fitzgerald stood out to me the most as it relates to my goal in life. In his quote, Fitzgerald is referring to one’s intelligence. The most successful and brilliant minds are those who can understand both sides to any problem or logic. To be among the greatest minds, one must be open-minded and see both sides of any problem or situation. Along with being open-minded, one must still be able to function. Multitasking is one of the hardest tasks to uphold. In today’s society everyone is always busy. In my life I have many tasks I need to uphold, and as life goes on the load keeps piling up! BUT…As life goes on I am learning to multitask. I am proud to say I am a tri-athlete and a first honors student.
Fitzgerald’s quotation, in my opinion, can be described as a definition of a true genius. Education is food for the brain, but there is more to life than text books and essays. Grades and tests seem to be how people grade one’s intelligence. Through this quote, Fitzgerald is trying to explain that to get somewhere in life, social skills are required. Communication and a social life need to be balanced along with one’s knowledge to be considered to be a great mind. One’s knowledge cannot be recognized if one cannot speak their mind or their ideas to others. Expression of one’s thoughts and ideas is how geniuses are made and recognized. Any intelligent person who is socially awkward or who shelters themselves from society cannot be seen as intelligent because the only person who knows of their knowledge is themselves.
In quote three by Fitzgerald one phrase sticks out to me: “the ability to function.” This phrase refers to one’s mental and physical state. The ability to function is important to one’s well being. What good are muscles if they are not used? What good is a voice if it is not expressed? Overall to be considered intelligent by Fitzgerald’s standards a person must be both an active member in society and also be extremely well educated. Some of the most intelligent people are still waiting to be found, but it is up to them whether they accept the challenge.
This quote has great meaning in the novel Great Gatsby. In the novel there are two people in which I think this quote refers to. One of the characters is Tom. Tom is a rich, educated man. Tom believes that he is highly intelligent because of all the books he has read, but does that really determine one’s intelligence? The other character this quote refers to is Gatsby. Gatsby is an educated man who as a young lad was in the military. Gatsby shares his wealth and home with others of society. In my opinion both of these men are intelligent, but neither fulfills Fitzgerald’s definition. Which of the two do you think should be considered intelligent? I would like you, my peers, to decide!
I really like how you opened your blog by talking about needing to be smart and being social. Intelligence isn't just based off of facts that you know. You have to be able to communicate with people and know how to be more than book smart. I also think that it was a good idea to bring up how it relates to us as teenagers. These are the years when we have to start to make life decisions and start to act more mature. We have to get good grades in school while playing a sport or working every night. It is very hard to do, but in the end it will make us more rounded. To answer your question at the end of the blog, I think that Gatsby is the more intelligent man because he seems more comfortable with people. He did have parties with a lot of people even if he didn't talk to them. I do agree that neither of them fit Fitzgerald fits idea of intelligence but Gatsby the more intelligent of the two. I really enjoyed your blog.
DeleteMarla, I can relate to you when you say that you have a lot you have to do on a daily basis. It is difficult holding a job, playing sports, and maintaining good grades. The stress that is on students of today is a large amount and sometimes it is hard to deal with this stress. I think that overtime we learn to get better at multitasking because as we grow older more is expected of us. I think that the way you interpreted the quote is great! I agree, people need a social life and need to be able to communicate with one another. Without communication people won't be able to see how smart a person is. If I wouldn't speak my mind how would anyone know my ideas on things. I like how you used the part of the quote "the ability to function" to relate to the fact that what is a voice if it isn't used. I don't think either of the men should be considered intelligent. If anything Nick is the intelligent one because he acts the way he wants to and doesn't give in to the social pressures around him.
Delete1. “one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteI really like this quote because I think that most people can relate too. When I read the quote I made me think twice about the way that I live my life. I think the quote is saying that there are going to be hopeless situations in your life. You are going to feel down in the dumps and feel like there is nothing that can be done to fix the problem, but that is false. There is always hope. Hope is something that you can’t see; it is something that you can only feel. Hope is about believing that the impossible is possible. It might be hard for some people to believe because if something terrible happens to them, they may doubt that their life can go back to normal. In order to move on, you have to know that you can change the way that you want your life to be. You have to be determined that it won’t be easy, but by putting the right people in your life and asking for help can benefit you and get you back to where you want to be. I think this quote can relate to today’s society more than ever. With all of the violence that is going on in the world, people feel scared and angry. Some people take this hopeless feeling and do dangerous things because they don’t know how to handle this. Some commit suicide, some kill the ones they love. Violence is never the answer and there are all kinds of people in the world that are willing to help those that are lost and confused. I think that hope is something that has to be installed into society and make people feel the wonders that life has to offer.
I think that this quote relates a lot to Nick from the book The Great Gatsby. Nick was the one person in the whole book that really tried to help others. He wanted to help Gatsby when he wanted to see Daisy. He also wanted to try and keep everyone from fighting, but it just couldn’t be stopped. All of the people that Nick hung out with were selfish and didn’t care about one another. Even Jordan seemed like she was more like Nick, but in the end she was just looking for drama. I think that Daisy felt hopeless because she ran over Myrtle and didn’t even turn around to help her. Daisy felt trapped because of Tom and Gatsby and she didn’t know what to do. She could have talked to both of them and figured out what was best for everybody. She wasn’t determined to find a solution, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. I think that Nick did the right thing when it came to moving back West. He felt hopeless when Gatsby died because nobody was willing to help him with the funeral. He took the situation at hand and turned it into something better for him. He is a very good example of being determined to give hope to those around him.
I think that I relate to this quote because I am a teenager. With school and college slowly creeping up on me, I fell like the world is on my shoulders. At times I just can’t take the pressure and stress that comes with school and feel like I have no where to turn. This is why I am thankful for my friends and family. They really keep me grounded and make me feel like there is always hope. I think that any situation can be turned into something positive and there is always hope for the future. I try to be the best friend that I can be to anyone that needs one. I want to be a role model to kids in the future and teach people how to live a life full of happiness and joy. I hope to learn from my mistakes and know that there will always be a tomorrow. The future is bright and there is defiantly hope for the coming generations.
Camille, I do agree that there are times in your life where you are going to feel hopeless. I think that teenagers especially can relate to this. Sometimes if a person fails a test, they think that there is no hope for them in the class again. This isn't true. If a person sets their mind to something they can achieve it. I like how you related this to today's society. I think that people feel hopeless today and there is nowhere left for them to turn. This is when they turn to violence and violence that is self made. They feel like there is no hope left for them. Society today needs to relay the message that there is hope for people and they shouldn't give up when things go wrong. I also thought that Nick was the person in the book to whom this quote most related. Nick was surrounded with a lot of people who acted like hopeless causes, yet he managed to stay positive and hopeful throughout the course of the novel. Nick felt hopeless at times, but he managed to stay true to himself and I think this was a very important thing for him to do. Great job on the blog this week! Your points were very valid and they were well thought out and put together!
DeleteCamille, this was a great way to relate your world to this quote. I k ow how you feel about the world on your shoulders. I also feel that not only Nick had this problem, but George Wilson alao did, except he couldnt take the stress from his situations. This is a very sad subject to start on becuase many people feel like no one is there for them, and that may lead to depression. This is what I think happened to Wilson because of the death of his wife, and the affair that was taking place in his life. I know that high school for teenagers is a very rough time because of a new life in college is coming, but no one should feel hopeless. There is hope, and we need to show it to others by supporting one another.
Delete2. "there are no second acts in American lives."
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald's quote, number two, was shown in many different points in, The Great Gatsby. During this book Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and Jordan were all very similar in wealth. Except for the fact that Gatsby earned his wealth instead of being born into a wealthy family and inheriting it. During the book I started to see the true side of these characters by seeing their greed, jealousy, and arrogance towards each other. These characteristics made all of these people do incredibly stupid thing that they will be haunted by forever. This goes back on the quote. Once they did these harsh acts, they could not take them back, like when Daisy killed Myrtle when she hit her with a car. She was unable to go back in time and get a second chance to change what she did. Also Gatsby wasn't able to have a second chance with Daisy because she was already married, and still had feelings with Tom. All of these people were a part of an American life; however, they were a part of rich, spoiled lives that took over their ways of being nice to others, and respecting the life and will of another.Therefore, quote two showed that in this story that all of these people made very harsh mistakes and acts that cannot be taken back.
This quote made a huge impact on what I think about the way Americans and I live. All people in America make mistakes. Some people kill or steal from others. People who do this cannot take these actions committed back. They cant rewind the clock and start over. When we do something, it is a permanent act no matter how much we want to take it back. When people die they aren't given a second chance to live in our world. This is why people say, "You will only live once." Therefore, much like the book, Americans aren't given second chances. We are effected by every action we take. Many times when humans make mistakes they regret them.
This quote makes me want to change how I act around others. I want to stop talking about others behind their backs because I will never know when it could be someones last day. I don't want to regret the things I do. I don't want to have to ask for a second chance because I know that if I am, I did something wrong that will effect me for my whole life. It also makes me want to live my life to my fullest ability. I don't want to leave this earth without doing something that i will regret if I don't do it. Therefore, this quote really allowed me to think about how I want to live my life. I don't want to go through this world being unnoticed and nothing. I want to live life to the fullest with no regrets.
In conclusion, quote two really showed how all of the wealthy characters in The Great Gatsby went through their lives being noticed, but they were noticed for being arrogant and rich, when most people want to go through life being acknowledged for doing great things that people will remember for eternity, not for doing terrible things like killing another person or robbing a bank. It also made me undergo a conversion of heart towards the way I treat others. I want to live my life to my fullest potential; however, this doesn't mean that I should live my life with a carefree point of view. I should be very careful through my actions, but I should do this with being able to not live my life with regrets. Therefore, I really like this book. This quote really related to the lives of not only a lot of the characters in the story, but to Americans and I.
Emma, watch the way that you use your commas in the first sentence. Most of the time commas do not need to be there and people put them in necessarily. I think that you did a really good job whenever you incorporated the quote into the book. I agree, the characters in the book all seemed very careless and stupid. Life is too short to go around acting like you do not care about things and making stupid mistakes. People are not able to take back their actions, there are no real time machines, I, along with many others I am sure, have made huge mistakes and I would give anything to rewind and take them back but obviously we cannot. We need to learn to live with our mistakes and to learn from them as well. Everyone messes up but it is our choice of what to do with ourselves after we mess up. We can turn it into a positive or we could go on living life in regrets.
DeleteI like the second quote, this is just personal preference, but I do actually like all three quotes. In The Great Gatsby, almost every person in the book was arrogant and wealthy. The quote refers to the past being set in stone. The mistake a person makes will always be there and exist as long as the perpetrator allows it to remain. The quote says to live life right, and not dwell on mistakes made in the past. Although, in the future, people will not regret the things they did, but instead the things they did not even attempt. People in The Great Gatsby wanted to be noticed, especially Gatsby. Whatever reason a person becomes well renowned, be it for fame or infamy, is really their problem and no one else's.
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ReplyDelete1."one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteDuring a situation whenever all is bad, people rarely think about the positive aspects of life. I am guilty of thinking that the whole entire world is going to end whenever one miniscule thing in my life goes wrong. If a simple thing crosses my path that becomes a minor obstacle, I often feel like it is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to anyone in the world. Sometimes it is hard to look at the positive aspects of a situation whenever things seem imperfect. After ranting about the obstacle and what it has done and how it was the worst thing that could have happened (even though it is not) I am able to take a step back and to see that there is a blessing in disguise in every wrong thing that happens. One way or another, people are going to mess up and life and they are going to make mistakes. It is whether we choose to learn from these mistakes or to give up on them completely as to whether we are able to grow as people. The way that the mind functions is incredible. If you think that something is not going to end up well, most of the time it will not end well. However, if you think that what you are involved in may not be the easiest thing, but you will try your hardest and you will strive for the goals that you want then often what you end up with is not so bad.
I think that the world lately has been forgetting to stay positive. I think that people are forgetting that there are so many things to be positive about. We should all be happy that we are alive, right? There are people out there who are taking their last breath on earth who are not able to live the life they were given anymore as we are waking up in the morning. That alone is enough for me to feel inspired to do something meaningful and to be happy with all that I have been given because there are so many people out there who have less and who are still happy. People think a lot about themselves today, leaving self-pity everywhere in the world. The majority of people who feel sorry for themselves tend to not be happy. People who have less material things and have more time for love and compassion are the people who are truly happy.
Gatsby was able to fit into this quote well in the book. He never stopped or gave up on his love for Daisy. He had loved her for years and years and just because there was an obstacle in his way (the obstacle being her husband…) he still never really gave up on his dream for her. He chased what he wanted until he died. Gatsby always had that little ray of hope, no matter how little it was, it was still there, that Daisy would eventually come back to him. While Daisy chose not to return to him, Gatsby still was able to turn his utterly hopeless situation into a goal that he strived to achieve.
Nick is also able to fit well into Fitzgerald’s quote. Nick hadn’t had many friends. He barely talked to anyone. Gatsby was one of his closest friends because while other people think otherwise, I think that Gatsby was one of the kindest people that Nick had met. Gatsby was caught up in mysterious things and he was chasing after Daisy, but he still had time for Nick’s companionship and I think that Nick had enjoyed that. Whenever Gatsby was killed, Nick stood around and helped to plan out his funeral, never giving up hope that people might show up. After he attended this, he decided to leave the town. This was not him giving up hope, but it was him focusing his mind on a new life and a new piece of hope somewhere else where he was able to start again. We all need to keep in mind, that while the situation that we are in may not be the best situation, life can only get better. Whenever one falls to their knees, they can either choose to get up or to stay knocked down. We all need to remember to get up and to try again.
When everything seems bad, people's minds become focused on what is the most direct thing. This is why we become seemingly helpless when confronted with a daunting task. Remembering what is important can allow someone to continue through what can be the harshest trials. Over the years, people have become more greedy. Everyone seems to try to race through life and die with as much as they can gather. The less a person has, the more they value it. Gatsby, I think, is the best showcase of this quote. Never giving up until he died, simply trying to find Daisy. Nick I do not think shows this as well as Gatsby. Even though Gatsby used Nick as a method to create a path to Daisy, Nick still was the only one that would plan his funeral.
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DeleteMorgan I found your blog quite interesting. The quote you have chosen does fit into today's reality. I like how you expressed the meaning of the quote to civilization of today. I agree with you that in today's society there has been great despair and tragedy. People today are too busy wallowing in self pity, instead of learning from past actions. Also people are egotistical and will not reform or change themselves for the better. The only way to improve in anything is to learn from our mistakes! In Gatsby's case, he never gave up on his love for Daisy. In the novel Gatsby's greatest obstacle to overcome was Tom, Daisy's husband. This obstacle does not stop Gatsby, instead he still pursues his devotion. Gatsby's pursue may have been hopeless, but he tried to make it otherwise. Good job Morgan. Your blog captures the essence of the quote.
Delete"One ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteOf the three quotes that have been offered as options to write about in our blogs, I personally like this one the most. I like all three of the quotes, but this one stands out to me more. This is because of what it is based around, hope. Hope is what makes people strong, it is what gives us a reason to fight even when there is no other. Hope helps us find something that matters enough to persevere, even if there is not one. This quote refers to hopelessness, which can be the end to someone. Becoming hopeless is essentially giving up and letting whatever happen, happen. In history, there are many cases when hope allowed people to survive in even the most inhuman conditions. If people had lost their hope during the Holocaust, none of them would have survived. They hoped for something as simple as seeing their families again, and it was that simple idea that kept them going in barbaric conditions. There have been other times when hope has kept people alive, but the Holocaust is the most memorable. If something as simple as a mere mental thought can keep people alive, then hope truly is a fantastic attribute that makes us human.
Going away from the tangent on hope and more on the actual quote. The quote, in simpler terms, is an elaborate way of saying, "Never give up." Although the quote refers to specifically running into a seemingly impassable brick wall on the path of progression. The way this quote is worded makes it more directed toward something that seems impossible. This brings up the difference between simply giving up, and going down fighting. The end result of something can really show how much someone cares. If they just give up in the end, why should they have even started. Not letting it end easy means that there is a deeper connection with the task. Anyone willing to fight to keep something going think that it is important enough to suffer for it to continue. Not surrendering when there seems to be no hope left, shows what a person believes in.
In "The Great Gatsby," this quote relates to Gatsby more than anyone else. Him and Daisy used to be together, but he lost her in the past. Despite this, he never gave up on finding her and getting her back. The situation likely looked hopeless for him, considering that Daisy married Tom. Gatsby always tried to find her in very indirect methods. Gatsby threw parties which drew the attention of many wealthy people. He did this in hopes of bringing Daisy out and away from Tom. Although this never actually succeeded until Gatsby had Nick directly ask her. Gatsby knew that he could find a way to Daisy if he used Nick. He was kind to Nick because he knew that Nick was likely the most direct path to Daisy. Gatsby likely felt that he would never find Daisy again, at least until Nick became his neighbor. Nick, being related to Daisy, was an obvious choice for Gatsby when he was searching for Daisy. despite Gatsby finding Daisy, things never really worked out. Instead Gatsby died, these two things are probably not related in any direct manner. Gatsby died hoping that he and Daisy would end up back together, since the whole situation was still unclear to anyone at the end. Gatsby held onto the one thing he really wanted to happen, and retained that feeling throughout the entire story.
Hope is such a little thing with such a big outcome. If people do not have hope, they do not really have anything. Bad things in life are bound to happen, and those who feel hopeless are those who are not ever happy. People without hope are not able to see anything good in any situation. I think that people without hope are the types of people that suffer from depression and the kind of people that just do not really want to go on. They dread having to get up the next day because there really isn't anything for them to look forward to or to live for. Gatsby held out hope for the one thing he wanted most in his life, even though what he wanted was out of his reach. Good job with your blog, Tyler!
DeleteTyler, I really like this quote also. People in our society go through many different sad, depressing things. This may put them in the emotional stage of being hopeless. They feel that there is no where to turn. People need to have hope in their lives. In the story, Gatsby had hope in him and Daisy getting back together. Towards the end, however, his hope started to run out when Daisy had admitted that she had once loved her husband Tom. This was a sad moment for Gatsby which led him feeling hopeless. Therefore, great job on your blog Tyler.
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ReplyDelete“There are no second acts in American lives.”
ReplyDeleteThere are many people in this world that can relate to this quote. Whenever someone does something that they regret, they often think that they can have a second chance. People cannot rely on this. Many people think they are indestructible and cannot be destroyed. An example of this is when someone is driving along the road, and they look to change to radio station. Then they accidentally collide with a pedestrian, and the person driving the car is charged in court with murder. They will not get a second chance. They will have to sit in a jail cell for the rest of their life because of one second that changed their life. Someone cannot change the result of their own actions. They can only suffer the consequences. The society in today’s world is so careless. People do not care about anything or anyone. Many people just care about themselves. People with this kind of attitude will be the ones that will be begging for a second chance, because they rely on them so much. They will not get a second chance. If people keep relying on these second chances to live, then I don’t know what will eventually happen in the world.
This powerful quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald relates to his novel “The Great Gatsby” in many ways. Mainly all the characters, except for Nick, were very careless and self-centered. They did not care about anything except for themselves and their money. They thought that they could buy their way through life with money, but that is not the case. Nick was my favorite character because he was not self-centered and cared about other people. He cared about other people so much that he even forgot it was his 30th birthday until later in that day. There were many examples in the story when people wanted a second chance but couldn't get it. When Myrtle was killed, Mr. Wilson wished for a second chance. This scene also showed the carelessness of Daisy driving the car because she was the one that collided with Myrtle and killing her. She thought about herself so much that she didn’t even care to stop she just kept on driving. Gatsby was the one that had to suffer the consequence. Since it was Gatsby’s car that hit Myrtle, Mr. Wilson thought that it was Gatsby that killed her. Daisy was driving the car however. Mr. Wilson was so angry, that he ended up shooting Gatsby and then killing himself. Mr. Wilson relied on a second chance but never got it. If all people care about in this world is themselves, then the world will be very corrupt.
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DeleteAndrew, the example you chose about the car accident is a good example of not being able to get a second chance. I agree that people today are lazier than they ever were, and rely on the second chance to do what they should have done the first time. Another good example would be in school. A student may forget about a test or choose not to study for it, and as a result of this carelessness, the student fails. Normally in this class, the teacher will give students the chance to retake the test. Now there may actually other kids in the class that truly did not understand the material, and were grateful for the opportunity to do better. Now, for the lazy student, this student is taking advantage of his teacher, and expects his teacher to accommodate for him. This student is wrong, and deserves whatever grade he got.
DeleteAndy, I think your idea about setting the scene of a car accident was really moving and captured the essence of the quote perfectly. Second chances are not always given when people expect them, and lives could potentially be ruined because of such careless acts. Turning away while operating machinery as large as a vehicle is asking for nothing but trouble, which is also a reflection on some car troubles in the Great Gatsby. Tom and Daisy had both begun simple affairs that they did not find to have such an impact on both of their lives. However, because of these affairs, arguments arose. Because of these arguments, anger arose. Becasue of this anger, extra carelessness arose. Because of the extra carelessness, deaths occurred. People will not rise back from the dead. One simple mistake can cause a chain reaction that develops a mistake into a large ordeal.
Delete1. “One ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald
ReplyDeleteThis quote by Fitzgerald has significant meaning, not only to the 1920s, but it still applies to life today in 2013. I feel that the quote can stand on its own, being able to give meaning to the questions in life. There are many different factors that make up everyday life. For some, these occurrences are good ones, leading to a happy, prosperous life, but for some people, however, there are situations that revolve around sadness and pain. While many of us do not see it here in our small secluded paradise in the woods, there are people out there that face many struggles of everyday life. People suffer from death, sickness, and poverty every day, and then there are others who think nothing of the advantages they have.
While it is true that there are people out there that struggle to meet everyday needs, many of these people are the happiest people in the world. The happiest people in the world aren’t those who have the biggest houses or the newest cell phones; the happiest people in the world are those individuals that think past the material things in life or what other people think of them. These people are the ones that see the predicament they are in, and instead of giving up hope, they put their best foot forward and strive for change. They keep working for improvement until they are satisfied by their own standards, not the standards set by today’s society. These are the people who believe in miracles, or know there is more out there that we need to keep searching for.
A common misconception in today’s America is that if we want something, we simply just need to ask for it or pay a sum of money. But these people are wrong. This is the land of opportunity, not the land of let me sit here and wait for what I want to be giving to me. When we see an opportunity, we need to go after and strive for success. While modern society may show the most successful people in the world are those barking orders and making millions of dollars, what modern society neglects to tell us is that success in fame or fortune doesn’t mean we will be happy. Look at Gatsby for instance. Since he was young, he wanted to make a name for himself. His family was poor, and yet he still strived to be rich. In a time that it was hopeless for Gatsby, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Gatsby did something about it. He knew what he needed to do, and made a plan of how to do it. While Gatsby did make mistakes that cost him his life, he was determined and that determination is something to admire.
I think that Fitzgerald was speaking of the American Dream. Even those who are born into poverty or live in the streets can turn into a Gatsby. I am not saying that people should take part in illegal business and commit crimes all for some girl that truly doesn’t care about you, but I think that more people should take part in Gatsby’s spirit and determination. Many people today when something is too hard or would take time to complete would simply give up. Gatsby never did. He knew he was penniless but he was determined to change that, and he did.
Maria, while reading your blog, I realized many different aspects of life. First of all, I almost completely forgot it was 2013! But the main realization that I made is how your explanation is so spot on for modern America. People expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter without having to lift a finger and receive their riches for many different odd reasons. other people have to work all day and all night just to be able to survive another day. You are right in saying that some of the poor people are some of the happiest people in the world, and that is because they were not raised on materialism and know how to praise their lives that they are given each day. There is always an unnecessary want to be rich, but there is also strength in knowing that earning the money will have more benefit in the long run, just like Gatsby had lived. I enjoyed your views so much.
DeleteMaria, I found your blog very interesting. I can relate to what you were saying in your first paragraph. I feel as though I and many others take so much for granite. There are people in other counties that have if so much worse. Yet, we still complain about the little things in our lives. One thing that many Americans take for granite is money. We spend it on pointless things. People think that this makes people happy. Bu in reality not always does money bing happiness. Some of the happiest people in the old today have nothing. I think you brought up a good point. Many people back in the 1920's we saw all had the feeling. To be happy you had to have money. Nick showed us all that not everyone was like this. One other point is that many Americans wait to get what they want. We should all be doing after it. I thought you had very good ideas in this weeks blog.
Delete"One ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteThe quotes that were chosen all seem very important to me, but this one seems like it relates to my life on a personal level. This particular quote just screams out about our junior year as classmates. I have never seen so much stress built up in a group of students in my entire schooling career, and junior year is the time when it seems like all of the stressors are thrown into the helm at once. We all suffer from the constant homework that is drawn upon by the extensive amount of courses that we sign up for. To add on to all of the difficult classes and the time it takes to complete the work for the particular class/classes, more activities begin to be presented with our junior year. One of the largest tests will probably be taken, the SAT's. The test that could truly help decide our future and our fates within our schooling is an option throughout the most scheduled school years of our lives. Another special benefit that happens to most of the juniors is the sacrament of confirmation. This sacrament is the introduction of a person to be an adult member of the church. However, with great honor comes great responsibility. The confirmation classes are not allowed to be skipped without a makeup and also require an addition of homework. It may not be a lot, but the work done for confirmation is still taking away from precious time with friends or more time to get work done. With all of these future decisions, we also have to truly begin the consideration of the rest of our lives and how we plan to live after graduation day in May. When everything seems like too much to handle and we all just want to give up on school or not try anymore, there is always something that tells us that everything will be worth it in the end. We may not receive the perfect grades or get everything handed in on time, but the drive and perseverance that are used to try to reach this goal help provide us with a will to go on. We all eventually realize that there are so many other important things in life that go along with our stressors, mainly being our friends and family who help us to push through the hard times and make us able to enjoy the rewards.
I think this quote can pertain to the novel in many ways. Gatsby himself thought he lost Daisy because he did not have the money to support the lifestyle that she thought she needed to be happy. With hard work and determination with some daunting deeds, Gatsby earned a very large living and used that money to purchase everything and anything he wanted with one goal in mind: to win back Daisy. Times were tough during the prohibition and bootlegging was illegal, but Gatsby thought he should do anything to earn money to improve his previously dirt-cheap lifestyle. When he was poor, he never thought that he would end up staying poor forever and had hope for the better future he envisioned with Daisy present by his side. Even though things do backfire and take a turn for the worst, Gatsby actually does reach the goal of having the girl of his dreams fall back in love with him for some time before his death.
Everyone deals with trials and tribulations in their own ways. When things are going wrong, people may give in and just go along living a miserable life. However, the right thing to do would be to consider the problem as a rollercoaster that is going up and down. The cart of people may be at the bottom of the hill for a while, but there is always another climb coming up later that will leave thrill and excitement for better days.
Carli,
DeleteI agree with how important this quotation is. I like how you talked about the SAT's, they certainly ARE a huge test. Also, the sacrament of Confirmation was a great idea and comparison with this quote, it fit in nicely and certainly pertains to all of us in this English class. You were also correct in saying that everyone handles problems differently. On top of this, you hit the point exactly with the fact that no matter what, working hard on something will be beneficial, somehow, in the future.
Nice job on this blog, you hit many great points dead-on.
Carli, I think that we all feel the same way about junior year. It is such a change from sophomore year. We have so many more options as to what to pick for classes. School isn't the only thing that we have on our minds. Sports and other extra curricular activities consume a lot of our free time after school. College is another thing that we all have to start looking at. This Is a very stressful time for lots of us. You made I very good points in your blog. With the book I do agree what you have to say on the whole Gatsby situation. He does whatever he can to get Daisy even if it is illegal because in the end it he wanted it to be worth it.
DeleteCarly, I agree with you; never in my life have I ever felt so stressed out in my life! Everyday I see everything that needs to be accomplished within the few hours we call a day. The constant worry of how we will ever get through the day or week hangs over our heads like a cloud, and the even scarier thought of graduation and heading off to college is like a thunder storm in the summer; we feel the temperature drop and the winds come in, but it is the anticipation for flooding and power outages that scare us most of all. Right now, we of us are secretly scared for what is yet to come, whether or not we are ready to face this fear is out of our hands. The time is coming for us to get ready for what is coming. Whether we drowned in the negligent feeling of laziness or hopelessness is entirely our decision. In order to be happy and succeed, we all need to recognize this sense of fear and use it as a drive to pursue our goals.
ReplyDelete1. “one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteQuote one was my favorite out of all three quotes. I think that people of today can really relate to it. A lot of times it is easy to feel hopeless in our everyday lives. If I fail a test it is easy to just give up on the class because it is “hopeless.” I sometimes start to think that I will never learn now. This is not the case. I need to have hope that the next time I do better. This way if I try hard I can accomplish many different goals in my life. I think that society makes it seem like the only thing a person can do when the going gets tough is to give up. Once things get too difficult in our lives it is easy to give up. I feel as though society encourages this. It is all over the place that people have just given up when they can’t do something. I think that society says that it’s alright to give up when things are rough. Also sometimes people in the society turn to violence because they can’t cope with the hopeless feeling inside of them. This is when people start to kill themselves because they feel like they can’t turn to anyone. They may start to cause pain on themselves that is self-inflicted. In some cases people end up killing themselves all because of a hopeless feeling inside of them.
I think that the person this quote relates to most from the book The Great Gatsby is Nick. Nick tried to help others throughout the course of the novel. He helped Gatsby and a lot of other people when they felt “hopeless.” At one point Gatsby felt hopeless that Daisy was going to take him back. Nick tried to help Gatsby get Daisy, the woman he loved, to try and love him back. When Gatsby died, Nick took care of his funeral arrangements when no one else would. Nick hung around with selfish people. These people only cared about their money, their status, and themselves. This is easy to see throughout the course of the novel. Gatsby was surrounded by people all the time. He always had large parties with many people. When it came time for his funeral everyone seemed to ignore Nick when he asked them if they would come. I think that at this point Nick felt really hopeless. The fact that the people who have surrounded themselves by him for so long didn’t even care about seeing him one last time at his own funeral is just a ridiculous idea to me. I think that the selfishness that these people had at this point was the most selfish they had been in the course of the whole novel. Gatsby had done so much for these people and they couldn’t do one last thing for him. I think at this point he realized that the people of his society really didn’t care about anyone else but himself. After Nick realized that he didn’t fit in with the people of this society, he decided to move back West. He was a person who just gave hope to those around him. He put others before himself and for this he helped out a lot of people.
This was a great quotation. This quotation had meaning to me, and from your blog, it shows that it does to you also. It is an interesting idea how Nick fits this quotation. He does work hard throughout the story, and he even encouraged others to keep working at what they wanted. Nick went through some tough times during this story, and he did keep working at being a good person. It would be hard to have a friend get killed, and be messed up in such a huge ugly mess like the characters in this book were, but Nick handled it well, and he kept "plugging along" like Charlie Brown. Always working for what he thought was right, no matter how impossible it seems, or what the people around him are doing.
DeleteGreat job with the blog Rachel, you provided a way to look at this quote that makes sense and fits in with the story nicely!
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DeleteRachel, I think that you did a great job relating the quote to our novel. Many times, the situation of the characters does seem rather hopeless, but all of them carry on. Even when most people would have given up, they all continued on. I feel like this is true especially in Gatsby's case. Even though Daisy is married and has a child, he still continues to care for her so deeply that in the end, he was willing to give up his life and freedom so that no one would know that she had killed Myrtle.
Delete1. "one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stands out to me. It shows determination and a will to strive for anything that is wanted. This seems to be a characteristic of Gatsby. He really goes for what he wants, even more so than any other character in this book. This is a characteristic that really does fit Gatsby uniquely. Gatsby alone seems to be the most driven individual in this book.
Gatsby has spent his entire life working for what he wants. This shows how driven he is. At one point, he worked for a man who was often drunk, but that did not stop Gatsby. He worked like a madman and eventually made his way close to the "top of the food chain" when it came to wealth. Gatsby was not only a driven individual when he was older, but he was just as driven in his younger years, when he was still at home with his father. The way Mr. Gats describes his son to Nick shows that Gatsby has always been a hard worker. He even shows Nick the list that he had found, this list just goes even further to show the personality of Gatsby and how he works to get what he wants.
No other character in The Great Gatsby has the same drive that Gatsby does. Daisy and Jordan have no drive whatsoever. They just want. They expect everyone else to do things and watch out for them. They are lazy, and as mentioned in the book, slightly "air-headed." The Wilsons are interesting. They have marital problems, and Mr. Wilson became "driven" at the end. Mr. Wilson works hard, but we do not know as much about him as we do other characters. The only time we saw Mr. Wilson work for anything specific, was when he went after Gatsby in the end of the story. Nick may be the only other character who fits in close to Gatsby in the way he works. Nick is a hard worker, and he has good standards. Although he works hard, Nick is not even close to how hard Gatsby has worked and is working throughout the novel. Overall, Gatsby is the only character that has been consistently "driven" throughout the story, working against impossible odds. That he was doomed to fail against.
This quotation, to me, means that we need to work hard at everything. No matter how impossible something looks, it is great to work at it. A lesson can also be taken from Gatsby. While working hard is good, becoming obsessive and using others to get what is wanted is wrong. We need to work hard, but not to the point where we hurt others, and ultimately ourselves.
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DeleteJess, I believe that you are completely right about the obsession that comes too often with working hard. There are possibly millions of workaholics throughout the world and they most likely all live by this quote. While almost no situation is completely hopeless, it is often better to have given up while they still had the chance instead of working themselves into oblivion once it is apparent that there is no way out. Gatsby lost his life because he felt that he could not give up on Daisy. If he had, he would have been able to fall back on the wealth and have a relatively normal life.
DeleteJess, I like what you said about this quote. When I first read it I thought immediately of the green light on Daisy's dock. To Gatsby this was a reminder of her, but it was also somewhat of a symbol of hopelessness. It was unattainable. But Gatsby didn't let that keep him from trying to get Daisy back.
DeleteI agree that we shouldn't strive to something so much that we hurt the ones around us and ourselves. It's never good to allow something to become an obsession, which I believe Gatsby did.
However, I don't think this quote means simply that we have to work hard. I think it's more of an appeal to your imagination. No matter how hopeless something seems, as long as we imagine that we can change it, we can. It's only after we admit that something won't work does it not.
2. “there are no second acts in American Lives.”
ReplyDeleteTo me, this quotation means an awful lot. As teenagers my classmates and I have experienced things that have made us feel like the world is against us. We’ve also experienced things that made us feel like we could concur the world. We often take this for advantage. We forget what hurt us, we take our successes for granted, and we seek gratification. We don’t remember how we came to be where we are, which sometimes gets us into trouble. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote means that we shouldn’t forget what we’ve done. We shouldn’t take everything we have for granted. We won’t get another chance to live out our lives. We should celebrate everything we have instead of rushing into the next relationship, friendship, or party. We, especially as American teenagers, are facing a completely new frontier. The world is scarier perhaps than it’s ever been. There are new horrors that history has never seen, or even believed possible. That’s why we have to take the time, like Fitzgerald suggests, to appreciate our lives.
To apply this quote for to The Great Gatsby I thought first of Gatsby himself. He seems to be the one for who this quote was intended. Gatsby made himself into someone he wasn’t to be with Daisy. He did what he needed to do, even if it wasn’t actually legal. In many ways, Gatsby is a relatable character for teenagers. Although he was many years older than us, he sought the same instant gratification that teenagers do. He did what he thought needed to be done to be with the woman he loved. When it didn’t work out Gatsby retreated into himself. He failed to realize that what he and Daisy had was gone. He couldn’t force her to be in love with him the way they had once been. He couldn’t forcibly bring out a second act of their relationship.
Personally, I can relate to Gatsby’s struggles. I know that throughout my life I have tried to resurrect things that should have been left alone. I tried to force the second act. Remembering everything I have learned and experienced saved me from making that same mistake in other things. Although we all yearn to repeat something that happened in the past, we know deep down that a second act will only hurt us. Eventually it will come to an end once again. We could continue to force it to repeat, but we’d become tired of it. After four acts do you even remember why you loved a person or why you were even friends the first time? Forcing things to repeat themselves tends to ruin the original memories that we had. It’s better to have had the experiences and have them end then to not have had them at all.
Maddie, you looked at the quote in a different perspective than I did. I enjoyed what it meant to you. To many times in this world, there are people taking everything for granted. As a result of doing this, terrible accidents or events could occur from this. It is just like if a teenager goes to a party with alcohol, they think they will be able to drive home perfectly fine. The truth is, they are taking their lives for granted. You related the quote to the story very well, making me interested in what you had to say. People can not always get these second acts, but they often rely on them daily.
DeleteWhen I first heard this quote, I didn't really think of it in this way. I can really relate to what you're saying though! Many people today are always using money and looks to try to impress people. They use superficial things to get other's attention. This is exactly what Gatsby did. He was stuck in the past, when really he could have moved on and found someone that didn't care about his money or items. I feel like this is what many people look for when getting married in today's society as well. We need to learn to respect others and ourselves, and also not to take things for granted because you don't know when it can all be gone
DeleteMaddie I like your perspective on this quote. People do take a lot for advantage. I thought of this quote as saying that you don't get a second chance in life, you're only on this earth once and once you die then you can't come back. If you make mistakes and don't fix them before you die, then you are stuck with it because you can't come back once you die so live life the right way.
Delete2. "There are no second acts in American lives."
ReplyDeleteI believe that this particular quote rings very true when compared with "The Great Gatsby", mostly because of the fact that one's life can never be entirely changed. Once one makes a mistake, it cannot be changed. It stays there forever. The past may be the past, but it always comes back to you eventually. There can never be a complete escape for the past. Too many people in this novel tried to change what happened in their past, and this ended up being their downfall.
He most obvious case of this is Gatsby. While in some instances, such as the instance with Daisy, he cannot forget what had happened in the past. He holds onto his past with Daisy as if it's his lifeline, but in other situations, he seems to have a very different view point. When it comes to his past before he became Gatsby, he would rather ignore it. He didn't reveal his true past to Nick until his past came back to haunt him. He would rather pretend that he had never been Mr. Gats, that he had always been Jay Gatsby. This turned out to be his own downfall. If he had told Daisy the truth from the beginning, she may not have been so shocked about his bootlegging, and probably would not have automatically run back to Tom the moment that Gatsby gave a hint that he had not legally obtained his wealth. He thought that if he made it look like his past was what he wanted it to be, other people would automatically believe him.
Daisy also pretended that her past hadn't happened. She lied to Tom about her relationship with Gatsby from the beginning. If she had just been honest and said that she used to have a relationship with him, but it had ended before she had met Tom, many of the things that led to Gatsby's obsession and later his death could have easily been avoided. Instead, she acted as though she had met him casually before. Maybe if she allowed for the truth to be told, then Tom wouldn't have become so incredibly jealous and Daisy most likely wouldn't have been driving the car that hit Myrtle.
Tom is also guilty of trying to live two "acts". He wanted both his life with his wife and daughter, and his life with his mistress, Myrtle. When he discovered that he couldn't have both, he allowed for Gatsby's death to occur.
At the end of the book, everyone but Nick moved on as if nothing had happened. They pretended that none of it had ever occurred. However, it did and it would most likely come back to haunt them in the not to far future.
Tori, I like how you compared the quote to the story. It is the same quote that I did, and compared it in the same ways. I did not think of Gatsby relating to this quote, but he actually does. he dwells on the past to much. He thinks about past experiences that he had with Daisy, and will not look forward to what lies ahead of him. It was interesting how Gatsby tried to keep his past a secret from everyone. Only when it haunted him did he finally reveal to Nick what happened and how he received all the money that he has. I did not use Tom in my blog either, but he also relates to the two. Your second last paragraph really stuck out to me. It is only three sentences, but it made me look at the story in a different perspective. You did not really describe what the quote meant to you though. Good job on relating the quote to the story though.
DeleteTori, I think you did a good job relating the quote to the story, however you didn't really mention it's significance to you. I have a lot of the same ideas on it as you did though. This quote fits the story perfectly. Everyone was living in the past. Gatsby could not get over what had happened with Daisy, and that ruined him. Daisy tried to hide her past from her husband. I feel like everyone was trying to live two different lives. Cheating was involved often, and they would just try to hide it from their spouse. I like how you brought up Tom fitting into this, I didn't really think of that. Good job!
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ReplyDelete1. "One ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise."
ReplyDeleteThis was probably my favorite quote out of the three. I really like it because I think we can all relate to this today. Many people should start living by this quote. I often wonder what is becoming of our world today. With all of the school shootings, kidnappings, robberies, and the many other things that go on at an alarming rate; we need those people that are still determined to make things better. Everyone is going to have those days where they feel like there is no hope. I just think that people in today's society have way to many of those days. There is always hope. People need to believe in themselves and think positive in the toughest situations. These are the people that have the power to change things. We need to start focusing more on how to be positive thinkers and fix our world's problems.
This can relate to The Great Gatsby as well. I feel like many of the characters lived by the quote. Gatsby for instance was determined to get Daisy back. They had a pretty intense past, she eventually moved on, but he still fought for her everyday. Some of the things he had done were a bit showy, such as all of the parties. However, he was determined to change what most people would look at as a hopeless situation. Nick also fits this quote. He was constantly trying to help everyone else around him. He was not even at all concerned with himself, he even forgot his own birthday. Nick was always trying to fix everyone's problems. We need more people like this in our world. Truly generous people that will forget about their own small problems and focus on the big picture.
I think that this is a quote that I would really want to start living out more. It is often hard to see the hope when some days can be so bad. I think it is very hard for teenagers to do today. With there being so much pressure put on us about the decisions we have to make for school and such. What people need to realize is that tomorrow is just another day, and we have the power to change what might seem like the worst situation.
Larissa, I chose this quote also and I agree with your opinion on it. This quote really spoke to me because I am a teenager and I witness a lot of this kind of attitude often. I like how you mentioned about school shootings. We all know about the Sandy Hook shooting that happened recently. A lot of school shootings are results of people being angry or depressed and taking it out on others. We all need to learn to cope with stress
DeleteI hadn't compared this quote to the shooting that had recently occured but makes perfect sense with this quote. While it is very sad and tragic, if you admit to yourself that it is a bad situation and try to turn it around, it can happen and it will all be because you are a strong person. Stress is a major problem, especially for teenagers. If we all just take a deep breath and strive for the best, we will be awesome.
DeleteI chose the quote "one ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise." This quote means to me that people have to admit that many things in life are hopeless. There are some things that are impossible and we cannot control it. There are many ups and downs in life, but there are different ways to cope with them. When something is hopeless you can't let that ruin your life. Different people find different ways to cope with things. You have to enjoy life while it lasts and live everyday with a positive attitude. A lot of times depression is involved in this. If something terrible happens to them they go into depression. Sometimes humans also turn to drinking, cutting, and other harmful things to cope with their stress. Some people even commit suicide. We need to surround ourselves with a positive attitude and positive people. In the teenage years I think that dealing with hopelessness and stress is the hardest. There are many temptations and there is lot of peer pressure.
ReplyDeleteThis relates to Nick in the Great Gatsby. This quote describes him because Nick was a positive person. He is living the quote right in the beginning of the book when he is positive about every negative thing that goes on around him. All the affairs and all of the hardships don't affect him in the beginning of the book. He is positive and helps everyone to keep a good attitude. When Gatsby died and nobody would help or attend the funeral he did anyways because he is a very positive person and a good friend. Towards the end of the book it really starts to get to him though and I think all of the hardships start stressing him out.
Another person who this quote relates to is Gatsby. This relates to Gatsby because even though daisy didn't love him, he kept trying. He didn't give up on his love for her and kept fighting for her. The negative aspect in his life was that the love of his life was married and had a new family and forgot about him. The way he kept his positive attitude was by fighting for her and trying to get her back. He didn't give up, he kept a very positive attitude and believed that she would love him again. And it worked because she did end up loving him again. He kept fighting until the day he died. Dedication is a good word for this quote.
We have struggles in our daily lives that we cope with without even knowing. We have become used to it because life isn't perfect and the world is cruel. People can't always get what they want, and everything can't be the way you want it to be. Just stay positive and you'll be fine in life. If it is school work, stay positive. Think of how much it will benefit you later in life if you do your homework and pay attention in class. That is how you can cope with school. If you keep everything that way then life will be so much easier for you.
I really like how you said that a person has to admit that something is hopeless. I hadn't thought of that, but it is very true. To admit that it is hopeless will allow a person to change it for the better. I really enjoyed reading your blog, and liked the word dedication used to describe it. Good job, Leah!
Delete"One ought to be able to see that things are hopeless and still be determined to make them otherwise." This quote really speaks volumes because it is very important to never give up and always strive for the best possible outcome. In the Great Gatsby, Nick always strived to help everyone in their lives. He also had great schooling and made a good man of himself. Gatsby went from having nothing and being in the war to being rich and a major party thrower, even though his only reason for doing so was to try to get Daisy back as his own. He had lost her to Tom while he was away at war even though she promised that she would wait for him. He also lost out on the opportunity to receive money from Cody when he had passed away, which made him strive to get his own money. It is something that requires you to be dedicated to making something good, which is very important in life. Life is a struggle and it should be lived as well as it can be. I hope that I can live to this quote and make things for the better, especially in my high school and college years because they will be very hard but worth the hardships. It may feel hopeless at times when homework is piled up and tests are every day of the week, but it will give me a life that would make my parents proud. I hope to be a person someday that people are proud of and want to look up to. This quote really allows me to think I can do that.
ReplyDelete