American Literature (F)

Both Gatsby and Nick represent very popular versions of the American Dream seen in today’s society. Gatsby’s “up from the bootstraps” self-made idea is something looked highly upon in today’s society. For example, many people online who have made a name for themselves are people who came from small town, middle class families, and have been able to be very successful in their lives. These public figures are looked up to by millions of people who aspire to be like them. Many of these individuals speak to people all across America about how they were able to gain all of their success through hard work and determination; thus, inspiring the youth to try to follow in their footsteps. On the other hand, Nick’s idea of the American Dream has been a very popular goal for many Americans for a long period of time. His goals of having a family, having many close friends, and creating many family memories from holidays is something so many people have implanted in their brains about what you should strive for living in America. The Great Gatsby speaks to the American Dream because Gatsby is chasing a romanticized idea of wealth in order to succeed, whereas Nick is chasing a polar opposite idea of small world success.

Gatsby’s idea of the American Dream entails working your way up from nothing to someone who has accomplished a great deal of success. Gatsby’s family was in the middle class as he was growing up, and he decided at a very young age that he wanted to make more of himself than what he was given in life. This feeling is something so many people can relate to, which makes sense because it is human nature to want to be the best version of yourself, especially in the eyes of other people around you. Gatsby enveloped this idea completely, and readers are shown this in the very last paragraph of the book, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—to-morrow we will run faster… And one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 180). Readers can infer that what Gatsby believed in the American Dream, but that when he got what he had been working towards his whole life, he realized that he never got the one thing he truly wanted, the green light, Daisy. He was never really happy with his life but he put up this facade of his idea of the American Dream for so long that it became his normal. This is somewhat ironic because he was striving for this image in the first place so that he could be happier with his life. Gatsby’s entire vision of his life revolved around trying to reach the green light, which he came so close to, yet remained so far from reaching. This idea of the American Dream is popular, yet most people that actually achieve it find themselves lost and unhappy.

The other idea we see in displayed in The Great Gatsby is Nick’s very opposite version of the American Dream. This idea is more popular with the majority of the population because it is more attainable. Nick’s idea is based around wanting a family, having many close friends and making endless memories that will last his lifetime. This version is seems quite simple, yet so many people can not actually accomplish it. As time goes on this idea is becoming less and less popular, but it is still a widely accepted version of the American Dream. Nick grew up in the Midwest and his idea of the American Dream was influenced by how he grew up and what he was exposed to as a child. “That’s my Middle West – not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth, and the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark and the shadows of holly wreaths thrown by lighted windows on the snow. I am part of that, a little solemn with the feel of those long winters, a little complacent from growing up in the Carraway house in a city where dwellings are still called through decades by a family’s name” (Fitzgerald 187-188). Nick upbringing is very similar to his ideas about how life should be. He grew up in a small midwestern town and was very close to his family and had a tight knit community to lean on. This is very much opposite to Gatsby’s ideas of how one should strive to live their lives.

Nick’s version of the American dream is something much more attainable for the average American in today’s society, whereas for the majority of the population, Gatsby’s idea is more of a dream of what they want their lives to be like, but either do not want to put in the work to get there, or have not been given the resources to get there.

Home to many individuals is a house, a trailer, an apartment; to many it is a place that they love and consider home. I consider home as my residence, the environment I have lived in my whole life. This has been my home since I was born and is the space I still share with my family. It is the place I have had my ups, my downs, the environment where I argued, fought, hugged, laughed, and cried. It is truly my home.

On June 2003 my family made the bold decision to move into a house on Hebron Academy’s campus. This wasn’t necessarily a hard decision considering my father had to commute 30 minutes every morning to Hebron. Since we were moving onto Hebron’s campus, we got to receive many benefits. Now we lived right next to a gym, this was something that was so cool to me because at the time gym class was my favorite class, so living next to a gym only emphasized my enthusiasm towards physical activity. Now, this whole story about my home may not be intriguing to those who read this due to the mass knowledge of my history at Hebron. Yet I am going to share the history of my home and what makes it truly special to me. Shortly after our move, my mom delivered my brother Dan. Now this was something that I did not like. I didn’t want someone being spoiled instead of me. Looking back at it I seemed like a pretty selfish kid, but I learned to like having a brother. After a few years, my mom decided to resign from her job at CMMC and become a nurse at Hebron Academy. She continued to work Fridays at the hospital but this change allowed her to be around me and my brother at the time. Shortly after this change, my mother told me and my brother that she was having another child. I had no idea what gender it was and they decided that they were going to wait and see. When my mother delivered the baby, it was a boy! My whole family was so excited and could not wait to spend the rest of our life with him.

A few years passed and I graduated from elementary school. I moved into the Hebron Academy middle school and was extremely nervous yet excited for what was to come. My parents constantly supported me through the process through middle school but I was constantly having disputes with them about my academics. My family was all over the place with sports. We were constantly moving to different ski mountains, different soccer games, different baseball games. When Ethan began to get older, everything became more hectic. My parents now had to transport three kids to different places all at the same time. I constantly felt bad for them but would never say anything because they always were determined to get me and my brothers to our events. Our life was hectic, always moving places, always doing things, but the one place everything felt calm was at home. Yes, we were running around the house to get ready for events but it was so peaceful compared to any other place. If it was a cold day I would always look forward to walking into my house at the end of the day to a warm cozy house. I was more enthralled and happy to go home around holiday times because my mother always had decorations for holidays and special occasions, making our house always very festive and comforting.

My home is just a regular family household to many, but to me, it is the most special place in the world. Through new life, through holiday cheer, through the comforting feeling that my house provides, I love this place. I may not have much to do every day due to it being in the middle of the woods, but there are benefits to that, and if you dig far enough you can find the true beauty in what I call home.

Hi, my name is Logan, I’m 18 and I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada but currently live in Orange Country, California. I have an older brother as well as a mother whom I am very close too as well as two small dogs. I am a hockey and lacrosse player, I have played both sports since I was 4 years old. My favorite pieces of writing to do are narratives and I am a peer editor in Writer’s Block.

I have never been the type of person to be super open about my emotions. I would much rather deal with things on my own and not open up completely with anyone. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to anyone about my problems, I just can’t do it. Nothing would make me happier than getting everything off my chest so I wouldn’t have to carry such a profound weight all the time. Whenever I attempt to initiate a conversation about how I feel, my palms get really sweaty, my heart rate starts to pick up and I can feel my stomach drop over and over again. I have an immense fear of rejection and this all stems from my relationship or lack thereof with my father.

My parents split up right before I turned four years old. They broke up amicably. My father came over regularly for family dinners, he was invited to all family celebrations such as Christmas dinner at my grandparents’ house and he never missed one of my practices or games. My brother and I looked forward to going to his apartment every other weekend. It wasn’t much, a one bedroom basement apartment with little to no furniture. He had a fold up kitchen table, a pull out couch, a queen size bed and a TV. He only knew how to cook two dishes but looking back on it now, he was trying. The changes came slowly then everything stopped all at once. He met someone. I never had a problem with him moving on but she wasn’t nice to my brother or I. It was obvious she didn’t like us and she never had a problem showing us that. Soon after she moved in with him, he started coming to my brother’s and I’s functions less and less. I remember him telling us he wasn’t coming for Christmas morning for the first time. I remember being confused and extremely hurt by this. We used to live less than five minutes apart and by the time I reached the seventh grade, I rarely saw him. His girlfriend has a child from a previous relationship and he never missed one of her dance recitals but he always missed my hockey games. Flash forward a few more years, he has two children with her. I now have a half brother and a half sister that I will never have the chance of knowing. I know for a fact that he is a great father to those two kids, he is there for them everyday, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted from him. Why couldn’t he do that for me? What did I do to deserve being a second choice? Why am I never enough? Why does my own parent not want me?

Facade is the perfect word to use when it comes to me dealing with my emotions. I usually come across as cold and detached and unbothered. I want people to think that I don’t care so I can distance myself and avoid getting hurt. This year, I am actively trying to change this and I’m trying to open up more and let people in so I don’t feel so alone all the time.

The first Europeans to arrive in the New World fled from Europe to escape religious persecution. Morality was based on the Bible as well as religion in general. Biblical law was societal law; there was no separation between church and state. The majority of their laws came from the Ten Commandments, and there was no open interpretation of the Bible. What was written was perceived literally.  The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller are both critical of Puritan Society and their overbearing laws regarding people’s personal lives as well as laws that wouldn’t be seen as laws in modern times. While we, as a modern people, vocalize that we prioritize morality, based on the election of Donald Trump, the treatment of minorities, as well as massive social injustices, our actions as a society indicate otherwise.

Morality has plummeted due to the election of Donald Trump and other individuals who have a past of immoral behaviors. Before Trump was elected he called Mexicans rapists, proposed banning an entire religion from entering the U.S. which he later followed through on, mocked a disabled reporter, bragged about committing sexual assault as well as being accused of sexual assault by twelve women. This man ran an eighteen month long campaign off the backs of his supporters’ hatred and the people who voted for him allowed a power-hungry business tycoon to take over the United States. It is written in this nation’s pledge of allegiance that every person is equal and has a right to liberty as well as justice. “The land of the free, the home of the brave, under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all.” His campaign as well as his views and actions are the opposite of the pledge of allegiance. Justice for all means everyone, including minorities and immigrants. Puritans use the Bible as a weapon against certain individuals in society instead of lifting the people’s morals like it was intended to do. “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 46). The people of this society thought Hester deserved to have the most severe punishment because she violated the seventh commandment which is thou shall not commit adultery. These people believed this because their entire life revolved around the church, they devoted themselves to religion. Another example of this type of situation is Chris Brown assaulting his girlfriend and there is proof. There are pictures of her beaten face and body but yet he is still successful. Millions of people buy his records and he still has many supporters. Some may say that nobody should be defined by a single thing they have done but he had minimal repercussions. Based on what? His talent? That is simple unacceptable. Once we excuse someone’s action based on anything like their status or talent we can then justify excusing anyone’s actions if the circumstances are right. “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.” (Miller 67). If we can overlook one thing that someone has done then it becomes easier to overlook other bigger things that an individual has done. If we are all created equal then we should be treated as such regardless of skin color, gender, status or anything else that makes us different.

Due to the treatment of minorities as well as the social injustices and lack of empathy for others, we as a society are significantly less moral than we were in Puritan times. It’s no secret that minorities are targeted and blamed for this nation’s problems. Immigrants are blamed for the lack of jobs and African Americans are blamed for crime in the United States. “Instead of feeling protected by police, many African Americans are intimidated and live in daily fear that their children will face abuse, arrest and death at the hands of police officers who may be acting on implicit biases or institutional policies based on stereotypes and assumptions of black criminality” (Holland). We as a nation still let our buried racism and fear of people that are different dictate how we feel about certain people. Racism towards black people that dates back to the times of Slavery are still in effects today.  African American men are twenty times more likely to be targeted by police. There have been instances that have been caught on video where police brutality is depicted. Eric Garner was a forty-three year old black man who broke up a fight in the streets of Staten Island New York and was confronted by police and was later put in a choke hold which was caught on video. The police officer responsible for his death was not indicted. On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown, who was unarmed, was shot six times by police officer Darren Wilson. Once again the man responsible for killing an eighteen year old boy was not found guilty. Whenever a white person is killed it is plastered all over the media, but whenever a black person is killed it’s just another ‘thug’ killed in the streets. As a modern society, we have less empathy towards people of color and it shows in our media and some tragic stories about young black people being murdered are not considered as high profile as let’s say as an example a white person being killed. “There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race. Scientifically, anthropologically, racism is a construct — a social construct. And it has benefits. Money can be made off of it, and people who don’t like themselves can feel better because of it. It can describe certain kinds of behavior that are wrong or misleading. So it has a social function, racism (1800 Sociologists Demand Justice And Change in Policing of Communities of Color”.) There are no biological properties of race. There is nothing about race embedded in our DNA, it’s simply about the concentration of melanin in our skin. Minorities and people of color are constantly being oppressed to further the agendas of people in power. It is so important to have representation for everyone in every aspect of life. There needs to be people of color in the supreme court, we need people in the LGBTQ+ community in congress and women in the house of representatives. Everyone needs to have a voice and minorities are unable to do so without representation. Representation is the reason for the Revolution in our country to gain independence from the British. It is scientifically proven that race does not exist, that it was created to elevate others and benefit others while putting down other people. To this day, people are still treated differently based on their race.

This nation is built on hypocrisy. We can not preach that we are tolerable and welcoming and accepting when we turn around and elect a person who coined the phrase “Build A Wall” to keep immigrants out when this entire country is built off the backs and hardwork of immigrants. How can we as a society claim that we are moral when history continues to repeat itself. We are stuck in a vicious cycle that needs to be broken and we can be the generation to do so. Diversity is what makes this country great. Not only racial, ethnic, sexual diversity is important; diversity of thought and ideals is what is changing the world. We need to be more accepting as a country so that we can move forward and fix the problems that are affecting us all regardless of our differences. Until we follow through with what what we say and turn it into action, we will never be as moral as we claim to be. When looking through history books, most people are mortified by the actions taken by the Puritans but how can we as a modern society say that they couldn’t possibly believe that such atrocities are committed when we sit back and watch horrible things happen every single day and not do a thing about it. It’s even worse in this situation because we have easy access to historical documents yet we still let history repeat itself by sitting back and watching oppression take place.

There was always people rushing around. In the train station, the carts were usually packed to the brim. Except at ten o’clock am, that was the deadliest hour, when silence creeped up onto the subway tiles and covered the concrete floors. After this hour had passed, the shuffling of shoes returned, along with the rustling of jackets scraping up against each other, bodies covered the tiles and the floors, they took up all space available. Behind the telephone booth, I watched all of them, each and everyone had an illuminated face, the screens two inches away,  paying no attention to each other, I was the only one who saw, I was the only one who noticed, just me. And behind the telephone booth I remained, taking in the sight of all the people who no longer exemplified happiness but reflected misery, by reading their faces and studying the way they moved I could see that they were jailed to their schedules with their emotions buried deep.

Everyday, no matter where I was, I noticed heads tilted to the ground, and feet moving as though the person was in an Olympic speed walking competition. This body language saddened me, and I know that is a silly thing to say but it is true, it disturbed me how people were so consumed in themselves and gave little attention to others.

“At least they are not being rude to each other as they walked by.” is what you are probably all thinking. Except, this was rude, they had lost their kind-heartedness towards humans by being so involved in their screens and schedules. With their emotions buried deep in themselves they could no longer connect to people, and their lack of humanness was shown.  

By the lack of humanness people became robots, who followed a checklist, “have I stayed up till the crack of dawn to do all my work, have I had no fun all week, have I done everything that takes away all joy from my life?”  People today have become so focused on the “have finished”, and are forgetting about the “I am living”:they are completely losing the “I am me” and all the quirks that make them who they are, and are only concerned about their workload and not taking time to look around and enjoy the beautiful planet they live on.

People miss out on the unique people who surround them everyday because they think it is better to keep on chugging along and following their schedule rather than stopping and beginning a conversation with someone they do not know.  Society does not realize that the world is brighter than their screens, and it has so much more to offer. Throughout the world, it would be nicer if people could realize all the different individuals around them, and put down their phones to smell the roses and  truly enjoy the life they are living because everyone’s time is limited.

Suddenly, humans began putting away their phones when around others and starting a conversation with their neighbor on a the train, people started walking slower with their heads up smiling, and no one was in a rush. People finally understood that real human connection was refreshing from their robotic lives just like how drinking cool water on a sweltering day was. Unfortunately, people understanding was just my dream.  

I’ve spent an hour staring at this page, typing intros and deleting them, all with a different idea- but every time I get through the introduction and realize that that’s not what makes me feel alive. Sitting here in the Halford Common room with the girl I love, laughing with her and listening to music as we struggle through homework and take breaks to talk about life and hopes and dreams- this is where I’m in my element. I’m most alive when I let life wash over me and just try and experience it as it comes. The thing that makes me feel most alive is simply living. Living in the moment hasn’t always been something I could enjoy. I’ve struggled for so long with anxiety and depression that years of my life have been clouded with a need to escape, but as I recover and get stronger and healthier living comes easier to me. Trying to think about what specifically makes me feel alive feels like it’s taking away from how far I’ve come. I don’t need something outstanding to make me feel alive. It’s when I’m drinking coffee with my cousin, or when I’m driving my brother to practice with the windows down in the dead of winter. It’s the rush I get when her hand brushes mine, the way my heart speeds up when she bites her lip in concentration. It’s the grin on my face as I open a package from my best friend who lives 1,240 miles away, or my side pressed against my sister’s as we lay on my bed and laugh. Passing notes in class, ranting to teachers, the shock of cold air against my face as I exit a building- all of these things make me feel alive. Life is happening all around me, if I only stop to pay attention.

October 30, 1929 11:00am
Yesterday we were informed of terrible news, the stock prices plummeted very dramatically. This is especially terrible for my husband and I as we are expecting a baby in March.
November 12, 1929 2:00pm
Our neighbors and dear friends, Sally and George, have not been having a great time lately. Sally was let go from the factory because there is a new policy that only one person can have a steady income from each household. It is very unnerving because they have three children and two cows to care for.
November 21, 1929 12:00pm
We are struggling trying to scrape up enough money. Our crops are not selling for as much as they used to before the darned stocks crashed! Ugh! This is so frustrating! My husband comes home everyday from a long day at work with barely enough energy and little to no money in his pocket.
November 30, 1929 9:00am
Last night was a good time! My husband and I went out to a bar to enjoy some hot jazz. Our favorite song played last night was Rapsody in Blues sung by Paul Whiteman. We got to see all our friends and laugh and dance. It was a refreshing night that I think we all needed to clear our thoughts and destress.
December 14, 1929 7:00pm
This time of year is always stressful, but this year it is the most stressful it has ever been. The winter is treating us very poorly, and I cannot afford to surprise my young cousins for Christmas like I have in the past. My husband has also come down with an awful cold, but we cannot afford to go to the doctor for medicine.
December 27, 1929 4:00pm
My husband has miraculously recovered from his cold, thank goodness for that! Christmas was different this year, filled with sweet jazz and family. We only handed out gifts that were handmade and thoughtful because nobody could afford to buy enough gifts for everyone.
January 18, 1930 9:00am
I know I have not written for a while, but everything has been very busy and stressful. Now that the holidays are over, everyone is becoming depressed and very stressed. It is hard to gather enough money for food and clothes. The only time we feel like we can relax and have some fun is at night when we go dancing. My husband and I have gone many times recently and have had a blast!
February 3, 1930 7:00am
My husband’s pay has been lowered along with everyone else at the factory. Our neighbor George has found a laboring job that does not pay much, but anything will help them right now. As for Sally, she is trying her best to make her children’s lives the best they could possibly be at this time.
February 25, 1930 11:00am
We are getting closer to my babies due date and we worry that we will not be able to give him the proper medical care he needs. This is especially nerve racking because we have a couple of friends who have lost their newborn children as a result of not having enough money for the proper care.
March 4, 1930 3:00am
The days are becoming more and more depressing as we continue to try to think of ways to get enough money to be admitted to the hospital for our son’s birth. I am very scared because I do not know what will happen.
March 17, 1930 6:00pm
Our beautiful baby boy was born yesterday. We were able to scrape together enough money to have him delivered in the hospital, but we are not able to pay for any special treatments he might need, so we are just hoping he will be alright, and not get sick.

By Sam Gumprecht

It may seem normal– it is typically stated a lot by kids going through this time in their lives–, that all high schoolers just cannot wait till the four years of high school drift away– which they do no matter if you want them to or not. But Sam is not one of these people that is ready to just be thrown into the world head first, no more high school friends, away from home and lots of responsibilities. She doesn’t want to just leave the comfort and the happiness of high school in the dust. It as if everything has just sped up all of a sudden, it’s time to now search for the future and where her life will lead. All others are just counting down the mere hundreds of day till they leave and tapping their fingers in suspense, while she can’t help but be nostalgic. Her time to live with little restrictions, all of her best friends right at her arms reach and have nothing to worry about but the next paper, is slowly becoming a fleeting sunset of memories.

It might be too soon — considering the fact that there are many months before graduation of her senior year– to start getting sappy about the fact that some of her best friends are leaving her and that she won’t be at Hebron three months later– but she can’t help to think about how she is going to function in a new environment, it’s like the future has hit her like a brick wall out of the middle of nowhere. Sam is not ready for the fact that in just about a year and a half her whole world will be flipped upside down and everything is going to changed. The pit of emotions that gathers at this exciting and terrifying event is something that Sam thinks about a lot. She is not ready to leave home and to not be there for every moment that happens and feel a part of the family. Sam is not one of those people who likes to just wish away her precious time at Hebron, she understands its short and important.

Journal Entry #548

Date: August 28, 2019

         The sun rays felt as though they were burning through my skin on that late August day. I stood there at the Lincoln Memorial, only thirteen years old waiting for his speech to begin. I was packed in by swarms of people, and then his voice came over the microphone, so soft yet strong. His first words “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” In that one sentence I became captivated by each word that rolled off his tongue, and listened attentively as he continued.  And then “ I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martins dream resonated through my ears, because I too had that dream.  At this point in time it was hard to be an African American girl, I was constantly judged by the color of my skin and by my gender. I had nowhere to run nor hide and my only escape was to hope and dream for a better nation. This dream of mine that was so similar to Martin’s was why I felt that we had a personal connection. Even though we were ages apart, we shared that hope for a better nation, and if he was alive today, I would tell him that I still dream.

I dream that police brutality would end. I dream that unlawful imprisonment would stop. I dream that white women would not clench their purses as a black man walks by them. I dream that I would be seen as more than just my skin color and gender. I would tell Martin that I seem to be dreaming for not only the disparity between the way blacks are viewed compared to the whites but for gun violence to stop, and for the United States to not shut their doors on the people of other countries needing help. I wish I could tell Martin that I no longer needed to dream because peace had finally blanketed the nation, but I still do dream.