F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" uses imagery to convey various divides between different characters, and repeated symbols to show the significance of certain points in the novel and create the "intricate" patterns that Fitzgerald mentioned in his comment. Many of these instances of imagery and symbolism are also comparable to "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh, which also has imagery and symbolism which accomplishes similar aims. In The Great Gatsby, extravagant imagery is used to show the divide between Gatsby who has new money that he has earned, and the Buchanans who have old money that they have inherited. Gatsby's parties are portrayed early in the novel as a spectacular event. This is done through the descriptions of items at the party such as the salads with their "harlequin designs" which imply that the party is like a circus - a show or some sort of act.
The term “American Dream” is an idea that suggests that through hard work and determination, all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. Clearly, there would be many different meanings according to different people based on race, religion and background. The American Dream started some time ago. As stated by Wikipedia, “Since its founding in 1776, the United States has regarded and promoted itself as an Empire of Liberty and prosperity. The ethos today simply indicates the ability, through participation in the society and economy, for everyone to achieve prosperity.
Unfortunately, many minorities continue to struggle in their efforts to find equal employment and educational opportunities, key parts of the American dream. Discrimination continues to affect minorities, and many view this as morally unacceptable. In Can We All Get Along? Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics, Paula McClain and Joseph Stewart Jr., discuss the controversial nature of racial politics in African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Latino communities. Racial and ethnic issues have been the heart of America from the beginning and they still remain central to the American political systems as we begin the twenty-first century (McClain and Stewart, 186).
Turner describes the greatest opportunity for progress in America through the frontier. This piece of literature offers concepts that were especially bold to the time period. The line “No subject is of greater magnitude than that of the public lands” (Turner 12) points out perfectly what Turner describes throughout his piece. Turner was mostly concerned with the “Americanization” of individuals (Turner 2). He does not deny that there is a steady growth of American progress, in fact he describes the development of America as an “expanding people” (Turner 2).
There are a number of things that influenced the foreign policy through the progressive movement and there are also things that didn’t. Overall, the progressive moment did have a massive impact on the American foreign and domestic policy before World War 1. Some people would argue that the progressive moment did influence American domestic and foreign policy before World War one, because a lot of social aspects were influenced by it. These are aspects such as child labour, working conditions and anti-trust laws. From the urging of social critics such as Jane Addams, child labour laws were strengthened and age limits for work was introduced, along with the shortening of working hours, restricting night work and requiring school attendance.
Overall, while the essay gives readers a feeling that it is their own choice to judge the issue, racism in the United States, described in the essay, it actually leads the readers, using the methods mentioned above, to judge the issue according to Lorde’s intend. To make the readers concerned about the issue of discrimination which they probably know about throughout their lives, this essay gives readers a fresh view of discrimination by talking about people who are not born with the knowledge of discrimination. This lack of knowledge in discrimination, by common sense, should make those people more reactive and react in more extreme ways to discrimination. But, in fact, although “American racism was a new and crushing reality” to Lorde’s parents, who were immigrants, “they handled it as a private woe” (Lorde 568). Lorde encountered the same “new and crushing reality” in the essay because her parents “believed that they could best protect their children from the realities of race in America and the fact of American racism by never
‘Emma’ exposes the impacts of social hierarchies in the way people interact and behave with each other. This is shown through the use of satirical techniques. As Emma starts to realize the effects of her hurtful judgements formed on social class, she begins to develop a sense of self-growth and maturity. However, in order to comprehend the influences behind Emma’s puzzled decisions, it is important to have a basic understanding of the social context. In Austen’s time, the Regency Era, social status was decided by the person’s family background, reputation, occupation and wealth.
While Rose showcases the effect of prejudice and its impact on conflict, he endures using his jury, the major influence personal experience has on people, and each other, making the decision from come personally. The play, being set in the 1950’s America, impacts on all the textual concerns that Rose presents. For instance, all the racial tension which created the rift in the 1950’s between different groups of people supported the significance of the play. Personal pressure is a factor which affects conflict, with its power and conformity it can impact on how others think and how they view the whole situation. However, personal experience is also a factor which impacts on every conflict, and from what the person has experienced from their own past, it can change the way that person views the other.
First impressions cause these characters’ preconceived notions, based on wealth and class to activate more pride and prejudice against each other. The first impressions that major characters, such as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, perceive of each other, directly leads to their own pride and prejudice. In fact, author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen had originally titled it First Impressions. However, this novel is not entirely about first impressions. The novel takes this theme much further and delves deeper to show us the result that first impressions can make on Jane Austen’s characters.
2nd Paper Assignment – “Crash” Directed by Paul Haggis In the movie Crash, directed by Paul Haggis, the themes of social justice and stereotypes are explored within the context of modern society, specifically Los Angelos. In this film prejudice and stereotyping are prevalent when discussing legal rights and moral rights. We see firsthand how social stigmas have profound impacts on the choices people make through the intertwining lives of several multicultural characters who each bear their own stereotype The presence of mise-en-scène is very important to the overall theme of the movie, specifically the costumes and character props. The characters wear the clothes by which they are stereotyped. Everyone is dressed to match their background, race, etc.