D’Souza 1
D’Souza Jaden
Mrs.Bentivoglio
ENG 3U1
October 26th, 2021
Great Gatsby Seminar
-Plot Points
-The first significant plot point that occurs in my section of chapter one is Nick
explaining his personal situation to the reader. While this simple part of the story can be missed,
this is a significant plot point, as it establishes the point of view of the narrator; not to mention
Nick’s present situation.
-The second significant plot point that occurs in my section of chapter one is the dinner at
Tom and Daisy’s house. While this seemes like an obvious plot point; parts of this section may
not be as obvious as others. Nevertheless this is a significant plot point because of the phone call
Tom receives, which set’s up the theme of betrayal.
-Characters
-The first specific characteristic of the character Tom that is found in my section of
chapter one is ego. Tom can be characterised as egotistical due to his dialogue and interactions
involving Daisy and Nick. This characteristic is identified when Nick expresses his opinions of
Tom to the reader. This characteristic is found in the character Tom is clearly identified when the
character Nick says, “as for Tom, the fact that he “had some woman in New York” was really
less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nimble at
the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory
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heart.”(20). The second specific characteristic of the character Tom that is found in my section of
chapter one is arrogance. Tom can be characterised as arrogant because of his moral ideals and
the way he treats other characters. This characteristic of arrogance is first identified when Nick
meets Tom at his house. This characteristic is apparent when Tom says, “just because I’m
stronger and more of a man than you are.”(7).
The first specific characteristic of the character Daisy that is found in my section of
chapter one is innocence. This characteristic is identified after the butler informs Tom of the
phone call; where Daisy compliments Nick, overlooking the phone call Tom has received from
this woman from New York. This implies that Daisy does not know anything about Tom’s affair.
This characteristic found in the character Daisy is clearly identified when Nick shares his
thoughts on Daisy after she compliments Nick; where he states, “but a stirring warmth flowed
from her, as if her heart was trying to come close out to you in one of those breathless, thrilling
words.”(14). The second specific characteristic of the character Daisy that is found in my section
of chapter one is cynicism. This characteristic is identified after Tom expresses his racist
ideology. This characteristic found in the character Daisy can be clearly identified when Daisy
says, “we’ve got to beat them down”(13). Here she pushes Tom’s belief in his racist ideology;
that the white race is the dominant race.
Key Literary Terms
The literary term conflict is evident in this quotation when Daisy tells Nick about when
she gave birth and learned the gender of her baby. The use of the literary device person versus
society conflict is used to express Daisys openisons on her new born baby’s gender. In this part
of the chapter Daisy is telling Nick about how she feels towards her child's gender. This is made
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clear when Daisy states, “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a
girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(17). In this passage Daisy is telling Nick along
with the reader that the best thing a girl can be is a beautiful fool. The purpose of this literary
term is to bring the reader's attention to the struggle woman face in the current society Daisy
lives in.
The literary term symbolism is found in this quotation when Nick sees Gatsby outside
emerging from the shadow of his mansion. The use of the literary device symbolism is used to
symbolise Gatsby's hope and dreams for the future. Later it is learned that his hopes and dreams
or the green light is tied to the character Daisy. In this part of the chapter Gatspy emerges from
the shadow of his mansion and reaches towards the green light in the darkness as a guild to his
goal. This is clear when Nick states to the reader, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark
water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling.
Involuntarily I glazed seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light,”(20-21) .
The focus of this literary term is to convey the importance of the green light or hopes and
dreams; which are later associated with the character Daisy.
D’Souza 4
-Poem
Every day I call to you broken.
Every day you answer my cry.
I take refuge in you and you comfort me.
Then wipe the tears from my eyes.
No matter how deep these wounds cut
Or how many times I’ve fallen down,
You are the hope that lifts me high
And in my heart, your name resounds.
The first specific link this poem has to the text is Daisy’s hope for her daughter’s future.
The poem expresses hope towards a hard and complicated today, so that it may one day be a
better tomorrow. This is apparent when the poem states, “Every day I call to you broken. Every
day you answer my cry. I take refuge in you and you comfort me. Then wipe the tears from my
eyes.”. What this poem expresses is directly tied to Daisy’s hope for her daughter’s future, as
well as to her hope for the situation women face in their current society. This is apparent when
Daisy says. “And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a
beautiful fool.”(17).
The second specific link this poem has to the text is Gatsby’s hope and dream of daisy.
The open also expresses hope as a motivation for moving forward. This is apparent when the
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poem states, “No matter how deep these wounds cut or how many times I’ve fallen down, you
are the hope that lifts me high And in my heart, your name resounds.”. What this poem expresses
is directly tied to Gatsby’s hope and dreams. This is made clear when Nick says, “he stretched
out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have
sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glazed seaward-and distinguished nothing except a
single green light,”(20-21) .
-A Decade In Review
Even though slavery had been outlawed in 1865, black pepole still strugled in the 1920’s,
from systemic discrimination and inequality. The ideology of white superiority remained with
white people dominating the economic boom. Throughout this decade with the migration of
African Americans, whites were quick to assert their dominance over black people. In addition,
racial segregation was an extensive phonomonon and injustices among black pepole were very
common. Moreover, the Ku Klux Klan presented ideas about the supremacy of white people; this
reached its height in 1925. This is when the threat of the lynch mob as a form of summary justice
was presented.
In my given section of the great gatsby; which is chapter one, the character Tom
expresses some of these ideas when he cautions Nick of the threat the people of colour pose on
the white race. This is apparent when Tom says, “It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to
watch out for these other races will have control of things.”(13). This dialogue is backed by the
character Daisy, showcasing Tom’s ideology when she whispers, “we’ve got to beat them
down,”(13). These quotations encapsulate how widespread the belief that thewhite race is the
superior race is.
D’Souza 6
-How My Visual Was Inspired
For my creative visual I produced a drawing of Jay Gatsby reaching for the infamous
green light found in the first chapter of the Great Gatsby.. This visual was inspired by my section
of chapter one, as this part of the story is our first impression of Jay Gatsby. Moreover, this part
of the story has a deep meaning associated with Jay Gatsby’s hopes and dreams.
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Work Cited
Fitzgerald, F S. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
Poem: The Hope That Lifts Me Up - YMI". YMI, 2017,
https://ymi.today/2017/04/poem-the-hope-that-lifts-me-up/. Accessed 26 Oct 2021.
The Business Of America: The Economy In The 1920S | Encyclopedia.Com". `
Encyclopedia.Com,2021,https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-
transcripts-and-maps/busines-america-economy-1920s. Accessed 26 Oct 2021.
The Roaring Twenties". HISTORY, 2021,
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/roaring-twenties-history. Accessed 26
Oct 2021.
