The Women of Gatsby!

Daisy Buchanan
Daisy is Nick's cousin, Tom's wife, and the woman that Gatsby loves. She had promised to wait for Jay Gatsby until the end of the war, but after meeting Tom Buchanan and comparing his extreme wealth to Gatsby's poverty, she broke her promise. Daisy uses her frailty as an excuse for her extreme immaturity.
Jordan Baker
Daisy's longtime friend, Jordan Baker is a professional golfer who cheated in order to win her first tournament. Jordan is extremely cynical, with a masculine, icy demeanor that Nick initially finds compelling. The two become briefly involved, but Jordan rejects him on the grounds that he is as corrupt and decadent as she is.
Myrtle Wilson
An earthy, vital, and voluptuous woman, Myrtle is desperate to improve her life. She shares a loveless marriage with George Wilson, a man who runs a shabby garage. She has been having a long-term affair with Tom Buchanan, and is very jealous of his wife, Daisy. After a fight with her husband, she runs out into the street and is hit and killed by Gatsby's car.

jealousy!

Of all the emotions humans show, jealousy is one of the most common and unsettling. It tends to bring out the worst in us, even though most of us know better. It's an age-old problem, having been recorded since biblical times, and no doubt experienced even before that.
Jealousy is simply and clearly the fear that you do not have value. Jealousy scans for evidence to prove the point - that others will be preferred and rewarded more than you. There is only one alternative - self-value. If you cannot love yourself, you will not believe that you are loved. You will always think it's a mistake or luck. Take your eyes off others and turn the scanner within. Find the seeds of your jealousy, clear the old voices and experiences. Put all the energy into building your personal and emotional security. Then you will be the one others envy, and you can remember the pain and reach out to them. ~Jennifer James
And oft, my jealousy shapes faults that are not. ~William Shakespeare
Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening. ~Maya Angelou

information found at http://www.quotegarden.com/jealousy.html

Od Money vs. New Money

In The Great Gatsby, money affects different people in different ways. For Gatsby, it means that he will finally have a chance at getting Daisy. But his money turns out to be somewhat of an obstacle in getting Daisy. Gatsby gained wealth to impress Daisy, he had what was considered "new money", and he tried to hide his wealth from people so that Daisy will not find out.

When Gatsby and Daisy first met, Gatsby was in the war and was very poor. He came from a middle-class family from the Midwestern United States. Daisy came from a wealthy family and because of the views of society, these two were not able to pursue their feelings for one another. Gatsby then dedicated his life to becoming wealthy so that one day he could possibly have Daisy to himself. He bought a gigantic house that appeared to be an imitation of the Hotel de Ville in Normandy. When Nick invited Daisy over for tea so that Gatsby would be able to meet her, Gatsby had Nick’s yard mowed, he sent over a fine silver tea set, and tulips to make Nick’s house look more ritzy. Every weekend, he threw huge parties hoping, that by some odd chance, Daisy might show up at a one of the parties. At these parties, he had the best of everything. He had bands that played music of the time, he brought in crates upon crates of fresh vegetables and other foods, and he had a large number of crates of wine and other alcoholic beverages. He also had the finest in automobiles for the time. He had a yellow Rolls-Royce limo that was extremely expensive and rare. All of this was to impress Daisy and evidence existed of this in that he never went out of his house during the parties. He let the people who wondered in party and have a good time while he watched from a room in the house.

Gatsby’s money is what is known as "new money." This is shown by the location of his house which is in West Egg. The "new money" was money that was earned through an occupation or some operation, whether legal or illegal. Gatsby earned his money through illegal actions with the mob. People who had "old money" received their money through their family as it was passed from generation to generation. These people came from East Egg and included in this group was Daisy Buchanan.

Gatsby tried to hide the source of his wealth so that people will not know the real source. He wanted to keep it secret so that Daisy would not find out and stay away from him. He wanted her to get to know him again first, before she found out the real source of his wealth. He told people that his parents were wealthy and that when they died, they left a large some of money to him. He actually gained his wealth through bootlegging alcohol and other mob activities.

Gatsby wanted to use his money so that he could impress Daisy and have things back to the way when they first met. In the end, he didn’t end up getting Daisy because too many things had changed.

Source
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=7079

selfish people!

This is a tale about selfish love
She looks into his eyes. Tears rushing; pouring through little creek beds in her cheeks.
“It all seemed too good to be true,” she half says, half gasps. “When I told you I had cancer, and you said it didn’t matter because you loved me anyway.”
Electrodes. Wires. A hospital bed cradling the emaciated body. Somewhere in the background a machine beeps quietly, acknowledging the life still there, while another machine takes a long slow breath and exhales gently into a tube.
He looks at her. Still beautiful to him, even now. He can not face her long though and quickly turns away.
“It was so wonderful when you’d take me out on our dates. You were always so patient with me. If I couldn’t make it out, you were there at my side. If you couldn’t come, you’d be on the phone with me for hours. All so sweet.”
The smell of disinfectant is cloying. It is like a mixture of turpentine and vinegar. The combination burns in the sinuses. Sadly this is the last smell many previous occupants have known. None of the staff take notice anymore. It’s just the world they work in.
With trembling hand she reaches out and pulls his face around to meet hers. Pale skin. Dark, bruised, blue eyes. Softly she speaks.
“My friends all said you were after my money, what little I have, but I refused to hear it. Maybe I should have given more thought to it, but in truth I didn’t care. I’m 26 years old and dying. All that mattered was that I had someone there for me. And you were there. Kissing my tears away. Brushing my hair. I suppose in that way it was a selfish love. Though one you were only so happy to oblige me in. Then when you asked me to marry you… well, I guess I was naïve.”
A little laugh burbles through her pale, parched lips, before turning into a coughing fit. Glass of water from a plastic pitcher. Pink and ugly so that no one would ever think of stealing it. Somehow it makes even fresh water taste stagnant.
“I remember shortly after I started chemo, when I was feeling down about losing my hair. I told you I didn’t want you to see me like that. But you showed up anyway, head completely shaved. You laughingly called yourself Charlie Brown. So I took out a marker and drew three hairs on top.”
A small upturn at the right corner of her mouth. A fleeting smile, gone as quickly as it appeared.
“But the chemo didn’t work.”
“I’m sorry,” he breathes out. His eyes are swollen, raining down.
“Are you?” she asks.
“I meant it when I said ‘I love you.’”
Silence. The drip of an IV isn’t something you can hear. When you’ve been in and out of hospitals for two years though, it’s something you know you can feel.
“I thought you did. Then two weeks ago, when you didn’t show up or answer the phone, I got nervous. I was torn between worry for your safety and wondering if you’d decided to break it off with me. No word from you, until today. And now here we are; you a liar, and me a fool.”
“You’re not a fool,” he rasps as he pulls himself up on the bed rails. He reaches out for her hand but she pulls back.
“How long have you had cancer?” she asks.
Seeing her recoil from him is too much. With a heavy sigh he lets his tired body fall back into the pillows.
“Since I was 14,” he replies, “but it was in remission for a decade. When it returned it was widespread.”
“Why lie? I have cancer. I would have understood.”
“I didn’t want to risk it. I figured if I was just some guy who liked you, that you might fall for me.”
“But why?” she demands, pounding the bed rails. “Why would you do that to me?”
A slight wheeze as he responds simply, “I didn’t want to die alone.”
Conflict authors novels in her eyes. Pain, betrayal; love, anger, and finally sympathy.
“Bastard.”
“I really do love you,” he repeats. “I never lied about that.”
“I know. I just hate you for making me love you in return.”
“It won’t be long now. Will you stay with me?”
She reaches over and grasps his hand in hers.
“Till death do us part.”

information found at http://www.thenonreview.com/2010/02/short-story-selfish-love.html

East Egg vs. West Egg

The areas of East Egg and West Egg in Long Island find isolation not just geographically, “separated only by a courtesy bay” (9), but more significantly in spirit. The East Egg consists of the already established wealthy class that has been part of the aristocracy for generations. The West Egg, in contrast, attracts the “nouveau riche,” those that had more than likely been born under less comfortable circumstances and who suddenly find themselves well-to-do. The "new money" try desperately to situate themselves on to that level of wealth that the people of the East Egg perch on, but ultimately realize the difficulty of doing so. The denizens of the East Egg will never accept them as equals; they consider the West Egg inhabitants severely lacking in sophistication. During one of Gatsby’s parties, a small cluster of the East Egg elite situate themselves away from the larger crowd in order to demonstrate that they represent “the staid nobility of the countryside – East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety” (49). They come to these parties only to ridicule the festivities around them. A similar situation occurs when Gatsby invites the Sloanes of the East Egg to one of his parties, only to have the invitation accepted “without gratitude” (109). No one of the East Egg wants to associate with the “new money” now rampant on Long Island due to the fact that they believe the West Egg inhabitants unfit for such a lifestyle as they lead. They adhere to the notion that true classiness stems from upbringing alone and can not be mastered if one starts too late in life.

found at
http://www.angelfire.com/moon2/greatgatsby/eastwestegg.html

unrequited love

Unrequited love is a term that is used when one person has strong feelings towards another that are not reciprocated. Unrequited love has been the subject of many books, films and television programs. The person to whom these feelings are directed at may not even be aware that they are the object of someone's affection. However, most people become aware of mismatched affections.
Unrequited love can be awkward no matter what the situation. In fact, it has ended many friendships because problems develop when one person wants to keep the relationship strictly platonic, and the other person wants to act on their feelings that cross the boundaries of friendship.

When unrequited love develops in the work place, it can be especially tricky. People have been known to change jobs in order to avoid this type of situation. It can often be more awkward for the person to whom the affections are directed at. Although it may be nice to receive the attention at first, it can become difficult to handle and spiral out of control.

Celebrities are often the focus of unrequited love. Some people develop serious feelings for others which they have never met. This happens more commonly with celebrities, as their lives are played out in the media. A misguided person may actually feel as if they know a celebrity whom they have never met.

In fact, celebrity-based unrequited love may be characterized better as stalking. This stalking may become so severe as to warrant restraining orders against the obsessed fan. Celebrity stalkers who have a case of unrequited love can also become dangerous. In these cases, the stalker may turn up wherever the celebrity appears, including their homes. In the most severe cases, celebrity fatalities have resulted.

Unrequited love really can happen to anyone. If you are the focus of this sort of attention, it is best to deal with it immediately. It's recommended to maintain boundaries and refrain from giving any impression that there may be chances of a relationship. While it may be difficult to do for fear of hurting the other person's feelings, it is often recommended as the best approach for long-term happiness.

information found on http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-unrequited-love.htm

Dan Cody

Dan Cody is essentially the man who made James Gatz become Jay Gatsby. After dropping out of college, Gatsby returned to Lake Superior, where he had grown up. While lounging on the beach one day, he met Dan Cody and his yacht.

Cody was fifty years old then, a product of the Nevada silver fields, of the Yukon, of every rush for metal since seventy-five. The transactions in Montana copper that made him many times a millionaire found him physically robust but on the verge of soft-mindedness, and, suspecting this, an infinite number of women tried to separate him from his money...He had been coasting along all too hospitable shores for five years when he turned up as James Gatz’s destiny at Little Girls Point.

Nick goes on to say that Gatsby won Cody over with his smile, & Cody decided to take him along when the yacht left harbor. He was employed by Cody for 5 years as "steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and even jailor, for Dan Cody sober knew what lavish doings Dan Cody drunk might soon be about". It's clear that Cody has a problem with liquor, which is why Gatsby himself never drank at his parties. Nick further describes Cody as

a gray, florid man with a hard, empty face—the pioneer debauchee, who during one phase of American life brought back to the Eastern seaboard the savage violence of the frontier brothel and saloon.

This description of Cody hints of criminal activity, so Cody may have inspired Gatsby's bootleg business as well. This may have also been because although Cody left Gatsby $25,000 when he died, Gatsby never got any of it. Thus, with no resources and only a new name, Gatsby turned to crime to make his fortune for Daisy.

Sources:
http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/chapter-6-summary-anal...
http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/character-analysis
http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/themes

the 1920's!

The 20's were a time of radical change caused by the many changes happening in technology with new advancements, discoveries, and inventions and is often known as the Roaring Twenties
Due the new technology available allowing movies to have both sound and color the movie industry in Hollywood grew fast as did the number of Cinemas showing the films. In 1919 laws were passed for the Prohibition of consumption and even possession of alcohol making them illegal and due to these laws the 20's provided some of the most well known gangsters a means to create vast wealth by opening illegal bars called speak easiest to provide drinks for the people that required alcoholic beverages. Possibly the most well known of these was Al Capone

Also this period saw the growth of the Ku Klux Klan and the growth of the Vigilante groups who took the law into their own hands and lynched victims most often black without any trial.

The other great change in people's lives came from an invention and technology prior to the 20's but after World War I became a significant part of life providing news and entertainment to the masses in their homes , this was the birth of commercial radio for all.
Jazz was the music of popular choice and some of the best known musicians were jazz musicians including Duke Ellington and Al Jolson. One other popular musician ( Composer ) was George Gershwin and many of his songs are still recorded and listened to today. a popular dance of the times was the Charleston
Possibly the most significant change during the 1920's was the mass production of the Car started by Henry Ford, he had manufactured and sold some 15 million Model-Ts by 1927
At the end of the 20's after a time of excesses in all areas the stock market crash of Black Thursday ( October 24th 1929 ) caused the start of the The Great Depression
During the 20's mens fashions became less stuffy and they tried to look more youthful but womens fashions changed much more drastically with women ( flapper style of clothing ) dressing in a way they felt comfortable with not to accentuate the feminine attributes but as a statement of who they were .
There were many inventions and new technology developed during the 20's but possibly the one that had the greatest impact before the turn of the next decade was Radio. It soon became a staple of peoples lives providing entertainment , News , and new ideas . Another very important invention also started to impact peoples lives and that was the uses of airplanes apart from as a weapon of war , Air Mail would provide some of the impetus and investment needed to improve stability and provide a practical use , as a byproduct the airplane became used as a means for entertainment with stunts at Fairs and Fun also man realized he could push the bounds by attempting previously un thought of ideas a good example is Charles A. Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic Ocean by himself in an airplane

It was during the 20's that automatic vending machines began to appear to dispense soft drinks

information from http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1920s.html

1920's Mafia

The origins of the mafia phenomenon dating back to the Middle Ages, when Sicily was under foreign domination and obedience wealthy families obtained through formal social control of land. The Mafia, organizationally, did not have a hierarchy, but was composed of autonomous groups who called themselves "men of honor." In those years, the landed aristocracy allied with social leaders and created a conservative power structure and stable, a strategy that allowed it to retain its dominance in Sicily thereafter.

Guided by a code of conduct called Omerta, the Mafia has quickly become an organization completely outside the law. The mob forced the code to be against justice, and also avoid any contact with her.In the early twentieth century, some members of this organization migrated to North America, specifically to the United States, thus spreading internationally clandestine criminal organizations.

Over time, the U.S. became the center of all crimes of the Mafia, since this country was restricting gambling and alcohol, which led to a large smuggling.The history of the Mafia has served to understand the source, structure, functioning and control mechanisms of criminal organizations, which has been a useful tool to study how they operate smugglers, murderers and drug cartels in the world more dangerous.

From 1920 began the golden age for international gangsters. Sicilian criminals soon found followers worldwide, prompting the organization of organized crime groups in China, Russia, Cuba and the United States. The latter country was the favorite of these criminals, because it could easily be corrupted, to perform any illegal act at the time


found at http://ezinearticles.com/?Mafia-in-the-1920s&id=3615522

F. Scott Fitzgerald!

The 1920's, also known as the Jazz Age, were wild times, and Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was its king. Although he lead one of the most wild and luxurious lifestyles of anyone during the decade, Fitzgerald was known more for his prominent works of literature, which have gained a permanent place among the American classics.

Fitzgerald was born on September 29, 1896 in St. Paul Minnesota. His prename, Francis Scott Key, was given to him to honor his distant ancestor who wrote the National Anthem. Fitzgerald's father, Edward Fitzgerald, was from Maryland while his mother, Mary McQuillan, was the daugher of an Irish-Catholic immigrant.

Fitzgerald entered St. Paul Academy when he was a boy, and started to write for the school newspaper when he was thirteen. During 1911-1913, he attended the Newman School, a Catholic Prep School in New Jersey. There, he met Father Sigourney Fay, who encouraged him to pursue his ambitions and to achieve personal success and distinction. Afterwards, he entered Princeton University, where he grew on his writing abilities by writing for school media. However, he neglected his studies and was put on academic probation.

In 1917, Fitzgerald joined the army to fight in World War I. In June of 1918, he was assigned to Camp Sheridan in Alabama. There, he fell in love with Zelda Sayre. After being turned down during a marriage proposal due to his lack of success, Fitzgerald returned to St. Paul to begin work on his novel, This Side of Paradise. His novel was published in March of 1920, and he instantly became a success. He had gained the kind of success and wealth that he had desired for so long, and in a short time, he and Zelda married in New York. He moved to an apartment in New York City where he wrote his second novel, The Beautiful and the Damned.

After Zelda became pregnant in 1921, they settled down back in St. Paul. And in October of 1921, their daughter, Frances Scott Fitzgerald, was born. Luxurious parties and alcoholics bouts were common in the Fitzgeralds' home, especially among Zelda, which triggered many domestic rows.

In order to escape the distractions of New York, Fitzgerald moved to France in 1924 to work on his novel, The Great Gatsby. When the novel was published in 1925, the sales were fairly disappointing, but theater and movie deals brought in more income.

The Fitzgeralds returned to the United States in 1927, but Zelda's unconventional behavior had become very eccentric. During 1930, Zelda's physical and mental condition had deteriorated to the point where she suffered a mental breakdown in April of 1930. She entered the Prangins clinic to receive psychiatric treatment for her mental illness. As a result, Fitzgerald had to suspend his novel writing to write short stories to pay for her costly treatment.

In 1934, Fitzgerald's final attempt at a hit novel, Tender Is the Night, was published in hopes that he could earn enough for Zelda and his daughter. However like The Great Gatsby, its sales were disappointing. And by 1936, Fitzgerald was ill, drunk, and in debt. So he headed off to Hollywood in 1937 hoping to become a prominent screenplay writer. However, the only screen credit he received was for the film, Three Comrades.

After failing in Hollywood, Fitzgerald fell in love with the young columnist, Sheilah Graham. After MGM dropped his options in 1938, Fitzgerald returned to novel writing. He had worked on The Love of the Last Tycoon, but Fitzgerald died from an unfortunate heart attack in Sheilah's apartment on December 21, 1940.

Although Fitzgerald's writing was not considered to be of high quality, because of the long held belief that he was an irresponsible writer. But then during the late 1940's, a revival of Fitzgerald's works made both him and his works more appreciated. And by the 1960s, Fitzgerald had secured a place in literary history as one of the most prominent writers ever.


information by http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/fitzgerald.html

Prohibition

During Prohibition, the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal. Prohibition was supposed to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. Instead, Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; organized crime blossomed; courts and prisons systems became overloaded; and endemic corruption of police and public officials occurred.

In 1919, the requisite number of legislatures of the States ratified The 18th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, enabling national Prohibition within one year of ratification. Many women, notably the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, had been pivotal in bringing about national Prohibition in the United States of America, believing it would protect families, women and children from the effects of abuse of alcohol. Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. Federal Prohibition agents (police) were given the task of enforcing the law. Even though the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were still widely available at "speakeasies" and other underground drinking establishments. Many people also kept private bars to serve their guests. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled in from Canada, overland and via the Great Lakes. While the government cracked down on alcohol consuption on land it was a different story on the water where they argued that ships outside the 3 mile limit were exempt. Needless to say, this technicality was exploited by everyone including the State owned shipping line. Legal and illegal home brewing was popular during Prohibition. Limited amounts of wine and hard cider were permitted to be made at home. Some commercial wine was still produced in the U.S., but was only available through government warehouses for use in religious ceremonies, mainly for communion. "Malt and hop" stores popped up across the country and some former breweries turned to selling malt extract syrup, ostensibly for baking and "beverage" purposes. Whiskey could be obtained by prescription from medical doctors. The labels clearly warned that it was strictly for medicinal purposes and any other uses were illegal, but even so doctors freely wrote prescriptions and drug-stores filled them without question, so the number of "patients" increased dramatically. No attempt was made to stop this practice, so many people got their booze this way. Over a million gallons were consumed per year through freely given prescriptions. Because Prohibition banned only the manufacturing, sale, and transport - but not possession or consuming of alcohol, some people and institutions who had bought or made liquor prior to the passage of the 18th Amendment were able to continue to serve it throughout the prohibition period legally. Even prominent citizens and politicians later admitted to having used alcohol during Prohibition. President Harding kept the White House well stocked with bootleg liquor, though, as a Senator, he had voted for Prohibition. This discrepancy between legality and actual practice led to widespread comtempt for authority. Over time, more people drank illegally and so money ended up in gangsters' pockets. Prohibition also presented lucrative opportunities for organized crime to take over the importing ("bootlegging"), manufacturing, and distributing of alcoholic drinks. Al Capone, one of the most infamous bootleggers of them all, was able to build his criminal empire largely on profits from illegal alcohol. The American grape growing industry was largely situated in California where there were about 700 bonded wineries producing table wines. Initially, prohibition forced the closure of most of the wineries when growers pulled up their vines thinking their market had evaporated. This created an enormous shortage of grapes forcing the the price per ton to rise 1000% and more from $20 to over $200. Growers realizing their mistake replanted vineyards but in their greed planted much greater acreages than previously. The increased supply forced the price per ton down to $15 by the end of prohibition. Every passing year the number of repeal organizations and demand for repeal increased. In 1932, the Democratic Party's platform included a promise to repeal Prohibition, and Franklin Roosevelt ran for President promising to repeal of federal Prohibition laws. By then, an estimated three quarters of American voters, and an estimated forty-six states, favored repeal. In 1933, the legislatures of the states ratified the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed Amendment XVIII and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to "intoxicating liquors". Federal Prohibitionary laws were then repealed. Some States, however, continued Prohibition within their own jurisdictions. Almost two-thirds of the states adopted some form of local option which enabled residents to vote for or against local Prohibition; therefore, for a time, 38% of Americans still lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had fully repealed their state-level Prohibition laws.





Found on http://www.1920-30.com/prohibition/

The Flapper!

In the 1920s, a new woman was born. She smoked, drank, danced, and voted. She cut her hair, wore make-up, and went to petting parties. She was giddy and took risks. She was a flapper.
The young flappers of the twenties felt no need to conform to the rigid models of femininity that their mothers accepted. During the 1920s, fashion for young women focused less female physical form. Dresses stopped at the knees, the hip lines were lowered, and there was less emphasis on the breasts. The look was basically "tubular," going from the shoulders straight down to the hem.

information from the article "Flappers in the Roaring Twenties" by Jennifer Rosenburg at about.com