Dan Cody

In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby one day he see's this yacht owned by this guy named Dan Cody. Dan Cody is a wealthy copper mogul. So Gatsby rows out to tell Dan that there is a storm coming. Dan took Gatsby aboard and was very thankful that he made Gatsby his personal assistant. Gatsby traveled with him everywhere and loved being wealthy.

Dan drank a lot and so one of Gatsby's jobs was to look after him when he was drunk. It showed Gatsby what drinking could do to people and Gatsby decided not to become a drinker himself. When Dan died he left a lot of money to Gatsby but Cody's mistress kept Gatsby from claiming this money. so from then on Gatsby dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful person even if it meant doing illegal things.

Dan Cody was like Gatsby's mentor, Jay really looked up to him. Before Jay met Dan Cody he was poor and his legal name was James Gatz. James had always had a passion for money, but his parents couldn't support him, because they were unsuccessful farm people. Dan Cody changed Gatsby's life, he changed his name and got him in the business at a young age. I think that Jay got all of his bootlegging skills from Dan. The only think that Gatsby has in his memory is an old picture of him that hangs in his house.

Work Cited

" Major Characters".The Great Gatsby list of Characters. 30 May 2010 http://www.fcps.edu/westspringfieldhs/academic/english/1project/99gg/99gg2/charlis2.htm

Gangsters and Mafia

The 1920s were famous for prohibition and gangsters. "Gangsters were known because they bootlegged alcohol, meaning that they sold alcohol illegally." When the eighteenth amendment was passed in 1917, American people started to acted differently. Some people would kill for their beer. The difference between gangsters and bootleggers is that gangsters were more violent towards others. When they tried to take over bars, and the owner would not allow it they would most likely kill them. The men who became gangsters were mainly apart of the lower class, such as Jay Gatsby.

The most famous gangster in the 1920s was Al Capone. Al Capone controlled many places in the city, he controlled speakeasies, poker houses, and nightclubs. Al Capone's gang was also involved in the Valentines Day Massacre. The massacre involved his gang and George "Bugs" Moran's gang. Bugs was a bootlegger as well and the massacre took place in his main liquor headquarters. Six of the seven men were killed. Although Capone was very violent he is said to be generous and closely believed in loyalty and honor. He was one of the original gangsters in the roaring 1920s, the prohibition era.

In The Great Gatsby the gangster is probably Jay Gatsby. He is very secretive and mainly keeps to himself. Jay was very poor in his early years and all of a sudden became very rich. Gatsby was willing to do anything to be rich for his true love, Daisy. So the fastest way to get to the top was to become a bootlegger and move up to a gangster. Gatsby has committed crimes and gives out alcohol at all of his parties and more. He is very secretive and does not like to talk to anyone about his business, and many people believe that he has killed a man maybe even more. We also find out that he will threaten anyone so that he gets what he wants. That is the difference between Gatsby and Capone, Capone believes in honor and Gatsby believes in Daisy.

Work Cited

"The Gangsters of the 1920's". 23 May 2010<www.exampleessays.com>

The Men of Gatsby

"The Great Gatsby gives us a glimpse into the gender roles of post-WWI America. Gender roles are in part decided by societal roles, as Tom’s upper class masculinity (strength, intimidation, virility) is contrasted with Wilson’s lower class version (hard working nature, naiveté). Unfaithfulness is a trait of both women and men, as we see in the text’s prevalent adultery. Women take physical abuse at the hands of Tom’s overly-macho persona, which seems a right of his gender at the time. His abuse is a form of the control that he exercises over both his mistress and his wife.

Even Gatsby, who treats Daisy as if she is the most precious jewel in the world, does not ultimately understand women. He treats his love as a prize, rather than a person. Daisy and Jordan, interestingly, seem to do as they please – but they still define themselves by their ability to attract men." Men have a primary role in the home, and that is to make the money and be happy with their lives. Tom is one of the wealthiest men in the novel, he likes to polo and make sure is life is the most extravagant one there is even if that means trying to verbally lower his opponents such as Gastby. Tom sees another woman, Mrytle Wilson, and although he is in a secretive relationship with her he still loves Daisy, and would never leave her.

Jay Gatsby is the other wealthy man in the novel, he makes his money by being a bootlegger. Gatsby is trying to sweep Daisy off her feet and take her away from Tom, but Tom won't let that happen. The last main man is Nick Carraway. He is very different from the other two, he is not wealthy, he is not trying to steal woman, and he does not judge others. Nick knows that Tom is seeing Mrytle, and he knows that Gastby is a bootlegger but he does not judge them. Theses are the Great men of Gatsby.

Work Cited

"The Great Gatsby " Shmoop. 25 May 2010 http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/gender-theme.html

Jealousy

Jealousy is an emotion that is created by the lack of security. Jealousy is also known as the green-eyed monster and you can see it in people. Many people become jealous of others because they have something better than them. Everybody has a sense of jealousy in The Great Gatsby there are all types of jealousy. There is jealousy of people having more money than others and the jealousy of people being married to others.

One of the first jealousies seen in the novel is the jealousy between Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanans. Jay is jealous of Tom because he is married to Daisy, the woman that he has loved for a very long time. The jealousy it is also reverse Tom is jealous of Gatsby. Tom is jealous because Gatsby is more rich and knows more famous people than Tom. Tom tries to put Gatsby down by saying he makes his money by bootlegging and he says that the people they met aren't really that famous.

The jealousy is also show show between Myrtle and Daisy. Mrytle is very jealous of Daisy because she is married to Tom and she is the reason they can not be together. She is also jealous of her because she has nice clothes and gets anything she wants. The last jealousy in this book is the jealousy of Gatsby by Klipspringer. Klipspringer is jealous of Gatsby's huge house and large amount of money. He takes advantage of Gatsby but still does not posses the things that Gatsby has.

The Women of Gatsby

The women of Gatsby are mostly flappers. Women had more freedom than they ever had and they were taking advantage of it. Marriage seemed to mean nothing to the men and women of the 1920’s. In the great Gatsby there are many of affairs that take place like one between Tom and Myrtle. In 1920 the 19^th amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote and they had some power over what was happening around them.

Even with these new freedoms, women were not thought of as equal to men. They were not paid as much and were still supposed to be dependent on their father or husband. Young women were still pressured to behave in the Victorian ways by their parents. Daisy had once said that " rich woman do not marry poor boys." This is why woman always wanted a richer man than the one they already had. They rebelled against this strict rule of their lives and the flappers were created. This is the time that woman partied and were very risky in the world.

The main woman in The Great Gatsby was Daisy Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanans and she is seeing Jay Gatsby secretly. Myrtle Wilson is married to as well and is cheating on him with Tom Buchanans behind their spouses. Jordan Baker is the only one that is not cheating on anyone, because she is not married. She is dating Nick Carraway. Daisy and Myrtle are both seeing men that are richer than their husbands. Jordan is seeing Nick, but he is not rich so she does not care about money.

Work Cited

"Women and Gatsby". Poca. 20 May 2010. http://boe.poca.k12.wv.us/pchs/Novels/gatsby/womenand%20gatsby.htm

Unrequited Love

Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections.Being in love with somebody who doesn't love you can be a heartbreaking experience. In the Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby has unrequited love for Daisy. He loves Daisy a lot but she is now married to Tom and Gatsby has a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that Daisy truly loves Tom.

Work Cited

"Unrequited Love" You Tube. 19 May.2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gMwpB9W7a4>

East Egg vs. West Egg

East Egg

Map of Long Island Sound

West Egg

West Egg is where Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby live. "The less Fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." It is the less fashionable city, but the West is more traditional. West Egg also is the older city of the two. The people that live there are newly rich, and once you are just rich you move on up to East Egg. The person that is well know on this Long Island is Jay Gatsby. People come from all over just to attend his fabulous parties.

Across the bay was East Egg the more fashionable and very rich place to live. That is were Daisy and Tom Buchanans, and Jordan Baker live. People here are in very good physical condition and the men wear nice clothes and they own horses and ponies. The woman are there just as fools, living the rich life and making other people jealous of their luxurious lives. "The East is connected to the moral decay and social cynicism of New York." The story takes place in both of these cities and New York.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1925

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 29, 1896. His mother came from a very wealthy family therefor he lived a somewhat luxurious life. He attended a private school, in New Jersey. In 1913 Francis attended Princeton University, but dropped out and joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant. In 1920 he got married to Zelda Sayre. Fitzgerald published four books before The Great Gatsby in 1925, this was his most popular book. This book was focused on the indifference of wealth, the hollowness of the American myth, and the sleaziness of a rich lifestyle. He later published four more books. He had gained a lot of money for his books, but because him and his write loved to live in the most expensive way, they were barley able to pay off their bills. In his later years Fitzgerald had a rising alcoholism and physical illness. After two heart attacks he died on December 21, 1940, and his wife Zelda died seven years later in a fire.

Works Cited

"Encyclopedia of World Biography." php bb. 2007

Old vs New Money

New Money Vs Old Money

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Old money vs New Money relates to the Great Gatspy because Nick was living in a fairly good sized house for only eighty dollars and today some houses cost up to $292,600 or more. The value of money today is very different to back then . In society today $20 is like a 5 dollar bills and back then 20 was like 100 so you can see how the values have changed significantly.

Work Cited

"New Money Vs Old Money". Slide Share.14 May 2010

http://www.slideshare.net/CoolTeacher/new-money

Flappers

Some critics claimed that flappers were emulating men, seizing male power and freedom by looking like men. They were indeed like men in that they made their own choices and expressed their sexuality more freely than ever before. The flapper would have laughed at the ideal, chaste, Victorian maiden who considered a kiss tantamount to a proposal. But the flapper didn’t want to be a man. She wanted to be a woman, a New Woman, the woman of her own creation.

The word flapper came from British slang for an awkward teenage girl. The flappers, however, did not consider themselves little girls - they worked hard to be grown up and sophisticated. Along with their short skirts they wore short hair, lipstick, rouge, and powder. Some flappers even swore. Girls in their late teens or early twenties were the first to wear the short skirt as a statement that they were New Women, no longer bound by pre-war values. The old-fashioned long skirt came with an array of constricting undergarments. Corsets bound the female body into the current fashionable form, and petticoats created a barrier between the skirt and skin. Until the advent of the Twentieth Century, the female ankle and calf were hidden erotic zones. The flapper changed that. Freedom of movement was a core principle of flapper fashion. These are the kind of women that went to Gatsbys parties.

Work Cited

Mandel Sarah "Flapper skirts as Feminist symbols." FWWD magizine. 12 May.2010.

The 1920s

The 1920s had many names, "The Roaring Twenties", "The Era of Heroes", and "The Jazz Age", all names given to the time of change. It was full of all types of people from flappers and bootleggers to African American poets and musicians. American citizens were ready to trade in old traditions for more modern ones. In a political aspect women were given the right to vote in the United States. Also the eighteenth Amendment was passed, banning the selling, transporting, or manufacturing of alcohol.

Not only was there a changes in politics, but also a change in the way Americans lived. Most woman were cutting their hair, smoking, drinking and dressing risky, these woman were known as flappers. Some men were becoming bootleggers, people who smuggled liquor into the country. African Americans were migrating to the north, many to New York to contribute to the Harlem Renaissance. The country was also changing from rural to an urban country. There was also new technology, there was now a portable car radios and movies were now up and running for people to get away from reality for a while.

There were also very famous people that came out of the 1920s. There were writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote The Great Gatsby and Langston Hughes a very popular writer and poet in the Harlem Renaissance. Charles A. Lindbergh was the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. And Babe Ruth, was a legendary baseball player. All of these people and more mad up the "Era of Heroes."

Works Cited

Ayers, Edward L.. American Anthem. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007.

Prohibition

Prohibition is another name of the Eighteenth Amendment, which was passed by Congress in 1917. The Eighteenth Amendment states, "After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the deportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibition." (Ayers) In other words it was a ban of making and selling alcoholic beverages. Woman and other reformers thought that alcohol was the primary cause of crime, poverty, and assaults against women and children.

Although the selling of alcohol was illegal, many people could still get it at speakeasies, an underground drinking establishment. Women strapped a bottle of liquor on their legs underneath their dresses. When people went to speakeasies they usually did not go their to party and listen to music. They all had to be very quiet so that the police or other authorities would not come and arrest them, they went there to drink. Many people also created their own home brewed alcohol. "In 1933, the legislatures of the states ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18Th Amendment and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to intoxicating liquor." (Scott)

Thanks for reading check in tomorrow for our next blog.

Works Cited:

Ayers, Edward L.. American Anthem. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007

Scott, Robert. "The Roaring Twenties". 2005 . http://www.1920-30.com/