Myrtle's death

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

Myrtle seemed to be in a quarrel with her husband, George. He was sick, and he told the neighbor, Michaelis that he and his wife were moving "the day after tomorrow", and that he had Myrtle locked in the overhead apartment until then. Myrtle must have been enraged when her husband discovered her adulterous ways and finally decided to stand up to her. Their neighbor, Michaelis heard Myrtle cry out "beat me!" and then she proceeded to run out into the road with her arms flailing in the air as if she was trying to get the attention of a speeding car. One spectator of Myrtle's death recalled the car being "light green". In the order of colors on a rainbow, yellow comes just before green, which means it is a lighter color than green. In the darkness of the valley of ashes, one might mistake Gatsby's yellow car for being a pale green in the dimness. So, the culprit is either Gatsby or Daisy (but one will later find out that it was indeed, Mrs. Buchanan herself).   

Gatsby's story about himself vs. Jordan's story about Gatsby

Contrast Jay Gatsby's story about himself on p. 65 and Jordan Baker's story about Daisy and Gatsby on pp. 74-77.  What is different about these stories, and why do you think that they are different?

Gatsby portrays himself to Nick Carraway as a very take-charge, and forever successful businessman. He tells Nick that he was born to some very wealthy individuals, which he then reminds Nick that they are "all dead now". This is the first sign that he is lying about his past. When Jordan expands on her past interactions with Gatsby, he sounds like a common school-boy, who drools after a pretty, young girl like Daisy. Jordan says Daisy received calls on the daily, since she was the prettiest and most popular girl in Louisville. 

The valley of ashes and T.S. Elliot's The Hollow Men

Compare the "valley of ashes," described at the beginning of chapter 2 in The Great Gatsby, with Part 3 of T.S. Eliot's  poem, The Hollow Men. Include evidence from the text

The valley of ashes from The Great Gatsby and T.S. Elliot's The Hollow Men describe many of the same images and give an overwhelming feel of misery, loneliness, and helplessness. "This is the dead land, This is the cactus land" from the poem and Nick Caraway's description of the shambled town compliment one another. In the book, the valley of ashes is described as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens." By reading this, I got a feeling of loneliness and nothingness, or at least nothing there but ash and soot. The same goes for The Hollow Men. The only thing that is visible in this macabre battlefield is death, and the only form of greenery or other life are cactus plants. "Under the twinkle of a fading star" from the poem, explains the pitiful and helpless state that the soldiers are in. In Gatsby, the line on page 23: "... of men who move dimly and already crumbling in the powdery air.", shows that the people of the valley of ashes are simply rotting away, and the last thing that they will see is the smokey, "powdery air" that drifts about them eternally. 

The terrifying truth about income inequality

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

While watching the short movie on the unequal distribution of wealth in America, there was one particular fact that disturbed me. When it was made clear that the 1% of Americans make 50% of the entire nations money. To make it even clearer, a complete half of the U.S.'s money is going to the smallest percentage that hail here. The people that make this are movie/music stars, politicians, and other jobs that would earn one a recognizable title and an abundant salary. The only startling part of this is that this much money is given to such a small portion of the citizens. To relate this to the American Dream, I feel it couldn't be any further from the original goal. The goal was to make everyone's wealth equal. This shows how things are easier said than done, and how optimistic and wishful thinking may increase people's hopes for the future, but may not be very realistic. Personally, I think that the American Dream is a wonderful concept, and many would thrive from it, except, it is quite confusing at the same time. After listening to this video, I had two primary questions. If someone with no work ethic is poor because of their laziness (which is not always the case), should they still receive payment for doing nothing?  If someone has worked hard throughout their years and accomplished amazing things, should they receive an incomprehensibly large paycheck? I think that the small percentage that have accomplished more than others  should definitely be payed significantly more than someone who has not accomplished the things they have, but to hand that small group of people an entire half of the nations money is completely ridiculous.