Choose one of the two following quotations. Then write a one-page creative response to the quotation. You are not expected to show who said the quote in The Great Gatsby; however, it important to illustrate your reaction to the quote and then to take it to another level with your discussion. 1. "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is
mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." 2. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people
in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
ReplyDeleteA little advice never hurt anyone. Nick’s father wanted the best for his son, as any parent would. Years ago, respect was the one thing children had for each other and for adults. In today’s world, jealousy and inequalities are major issues among people. I think that the advice meant for Nick should be a lesson taught to everyone.
I can definitely relate my life and the way I treat others with the saying. I know I’m much more fortunate than most people. I think that because I live where I do and know the people I know, I don’t fully understand just how much I really do have. I’ve never had to worry if I’d get to eat every day. When I wake up in the morning and don’t want to go to school, I’ve never thanked God that I go to a Catholic school. I don’t take the time to be grateful for the car I have. I think what really opened my eyes was the presentation of the Dominican trip. Just seeing all the poverty and the faces of the people really made me take a step back and just be so thankful. Like Georgia Wagner said, “how was it that I got to be born here and little Miguel was born there?”
I’m guilty of judging people before I get to know them. I often pick out the worst aspects of a person and base my judgment off of that. If a person’s wearing dirty shoes with holes in them and a pair of pants that look like they’ve just gone through Hell and back, I tend to criticize on that. Instead of trying to understand where that person comes from, I automatically look down on them. That’s not fair for me to do that. I have a very comfortable life with opportunities that most people dream about. I need to start seeing people for who they are and not by what they wear or how they look.
I believe Nick’s father to be an inspiration actually. His advice should affect not only for who it’s directed for, but for everyone.
Kristy,
DeleteI really enjoyed your response to this quote. I like how you were able to take a quote from a book that was written way before our time, and related it to your life. I, just like you, feel like I don't really take the time to appreciate the opportunities and advantages I've had. I don't have a car, but I don't really appreciate how much my parent's let me drive there's. I feel like there is a certain quality that we are always wanting more than what we are given. I think think this quote really exemplifies that.
I liked what you said about the Dominican presentation "opening your eyes." I couldn't agree more. I think that was a great lesson to be taught. Nice blog response! I think you did a great job understanding the quote.
Kristy,
DeleteWhen I read one of your opening statements about how children used to show respect for adults a lot of things ran through my mind. Now a days, teens have no respect, we see that at school sometimes, but not so much at our school because we were raised with Catholic virtues. However, my mom has told me some completely awful stories.
I also liked how you talked about how lucky we are. Even some of my family members struggle with finances and complain, but they do not realize how completely awful other people have it. We all need to think of ourselves as extremely lucky.
I also agree with how you said you judge people before you know them. I feel like as soon as we see someone with dirty, torn up clothes, we autmatically think they are a bad person. Not that they might be a hard worker and just having a rough life. I think we are all guilty of this.
Kristy,
DeleteRelating your quote to your life was a good idea. I know that I am guilty of doing all the same things that you are no matter how hard I try not to. Its just how society is, its life. Not that we should give up trying not to criticize, but when we do we should not think that it is the end of the world. Speaking of the world, I am glad that you brought up the poverty in other places. When I think of those places I feel bad for those people, I do not judge them. I think that I judge people that are wealthy more than I judge people that are poor. I feel too bad for the people that are poor to criticize them. Well, I guess mean those in extreme poverty like those in the Dominican. I do not know if others feel the same way, but I cannot image making fun of little Miguel just because he does not have any clothes. That would be a horrible thing to do. Yet when I am with my friends or a random group of people and they are criticizing someone that is not in extreme poverty, I normally just let them continue or even join in! What is the difference between those two people? There really is no difference except what is on the outside. We are all made in God's image and likeness. As a matter of fact, God is in each and everyone of us, so I guess that we are really criticizing Jesus when we criticize our neighbors. Better start following Nick's dad's advice! Excellent blog Kristy, you really made me think.
Kristy,
DeleteI appreciate your honest response to the quotation and the discussion prompt. I think it is difficult to admit one's flaws. The fact that you say you have prejudged people is a brave thing to do; however, in all honesty, I think many human beings are at fault in that department. I found that I was very upset when I would come home each summer from the Middle East where I was teaching only to discover the horrible attitudes I would witness against the Muslim people. We are so programmed by the media that we do not even realize that so much of what we believe is based on the subtle programming that has gone on for years against the Muslims. Yes, there were some horrific terrorists who claimed to be killing in the name of Allah (God), but in reality, the real Muslim was appalled at the killing and the bragging of these terrorists. Muslims that I know have claimed that these terrorists have hijacked their religion of Islam. So my point is this - I have often heard very negative comments about Muslims when I am out in public. Sometimes I have confronted people to find out why they say what they do (knowing that they don't know what they are saying). It is sad to see these judgements being made against people who are extremely peaceful and God-fearing. So I am trying now to be more understanding at the limitations of people. They have not had the advantages that I have had to travel the world and to have lived in a place where I have learned first hand what a real Muslim is. So whether we are talking about religion, ethnicity, gender, or class structure, we all must remember that we are a product of God and through his love for all of us, we are equals. I hope this did not sound too much like a lecture.
Kristy, you made a good point about how the author’s advice does not only apply to the story but it very easily could be a message to the audience, us, the reader. I feel, especially as americans, people tend to very easily judge eachother. I feel that many of us do not realize how lucky we really are. A good friend of mine had been overseas with the Peace Corps. And she said how poor 97 % of the people are. The live in little shacks and they really don’t know when or what their next meal is. I feel that this is a good message that we should follow.
DeleteI chose the second quote, "whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." Throughout the Great Gatsby there are many evident occasions when characters judge each other. The main character that is judged and criticized is Gatsby. He is judged because most of the people do not know his true story so they judge him and make up stories about him. They assume that he did something illegal to be as wealthy as he is. The characters in the novel are not the only ones that criticize; we are all guilty of it.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is very important to us as Catholics. Many people have a hard time not judging others. High class people often look down on low class people, and low class people often judge the high class people. Those less fortunate are stereotyped as disgusting. Many people are even afraid to go near them. However, high class people are not the only ones who judge. The lower class judges the higher class. They think that they are stuck up, arrogant, or supercilious. No matter what class a person is located in they judge others. People that never get in trouble often look down on those that do. Those that get themselves in trouble frequently judge those that do not get in trouble because they are suck ups or teachers’ pets. Regardless of a person’s situation they are inclined to criticize others, but as the quote says, it is necessary to think about it before we judge. A wealthy person is not necessarily supercilious. They could have worked very hard for their money, and maybe they use for good causes and do not flaunt it. They may not have worked hard for it, maybe they inherited it, but once again maybe they give generously to others. It is critical to consider the situation of others.
Many people judge others because they are jealous of their life or situation. Those people that are poor are jealous of the wealthy because they do not have to worry about money or work as hard. I believe that some of the wealthy people are jealous of the simplicity of lower class’ lives. When it comes to those that get in trouble all the time, they judge and make fun of those that do not because they wish that they could stay out of trouble. The people that never get in trouble they frequently are jealous of those that get in trouble because they have less stress it seems; they are not always worrying about everything. We need to be grateful for the life that we have. If we can learn to be grateful for our situations then we will learn not to criticize others.
Another way that they we can learn to not criticize is to realize that we are not perfect. No one on the earth is perfect, not one person. We all have flaws, we all make mistakes, and we are all vulnerable to criticism. However, we need to learn to take care of our own flaws before we start criticizing others for theirs. As it is said in scripture, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye” (http://bible.cc/matthew/7-5.htm). We repeatedly have more of an error than our neighbor, yet we continue to judge them. We are repeatedly hypocrites, just as the scripture says. Many times we make fun of others, but we are guilty of the same errors. Learning to accept the fact that no one is perfect can significantly help reduce criticisms.
Morgan,
DeleteI can definitely see your point. I agree that levels of criticism and judging are found everywhere in the social classes. I often see it happening most with less fortunate people. I don't know any "poor" people to say the least, but these people are constantly putting others down. They "don't care" about their lives because they'll never have what others do. Politicians are extremely guilty of this and so are the voters. People look up to celebrities and often think that they can do now wrong. Just by watching the news, all the celebrity mishaps are shown. Like you said, nobody's perfect.
Morgan,
DeleteI really like how you bring up the rumors surrounded around Gatsby. This applies to high school so much. People hear something about someone and it turns out to be a rumor, but you have heard it so many times that it seems like the honest truth. This relates to Gatsby 100%. No one really knew him because there were so many rumors about him. I think it was valid to bring up that the upper class are not the only class to judge. The lower class judges just as equally. It is simply human nature, but like I said in my blog, that is no excuse. I am not sure if I agree when you say that jealousy is a major aspect of judging someone. I do not think that a beautiful rich girl judges a dirty poor boy because of jealousy. I think it is because of the opposite actually, I think she would assume she is better then him. We all must accept that all human lives are equal. I think you have brought up some great points in your blog, especially the bible quote.
Morgan,
DeleteThe bible verse you included was exactly what I thought of when I read the quote! I was disappointed that I couldn't use it with my own blog, but you did a really good job with it. I agree that this quote is important to Catholics because it has to do with judging. It is unfair for us to judge each other and on judgment day, we’ll be judged on how we judged others. Just like the bible verse says, we need to worry about our own faults before we can judge anyone else’s. It is a great verse and has a lot of meaning to it.
I have picked the second quote, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” This quote was located at the very begging of the book and was told to Nick by his father. This is a great quote to have at the begging of this book, but throughout the book no one really follows or lives by this quote. Nick tries to live by it but as he gets more and more involved in the society of the rich it becomes harder and harder. We see him stray from this quote actually in the first chapters of the book. On page 70 in the book with the yellow band, in the scene when Gatsby and Nick are talking before lunch in the car nick thinks to himself “ for a moment is suspected he was pulling my leg but at a glance at him convince me otherwise.” Nick thinks this as Gatsby is telling him that he is from oxford. Nick has heard so many rumors form various people from the parties he does not know what to believe is true about Gatsby. This is another moment when he strays from his fathers advice. It can be very hard to believe what people say but when Nick has doubts about Gatsby’s life even after hearing it from Gatsby we see that Nick does judge people based on other’s opinions and other circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIn the Great Gatsby along with in real life people are so quick to jump to conclusion and judge everyone right away. This judging and criticizing all comes from society’s race to see who can end up on top. And to be on top you must have the perfect life, a lot of money, the most stunning looks; all the material things that do not matter when are in the house of God at the end of your life on earth. Some people do get special advantages in their life but to me the real question is what is a special advantage in life?
Many people would see a special advantage in life as being extremely successful and making tons of money. But how does this make a person truly happy? To me receiving special advantages are the little things that make life worth living. I know for me and many other people that are in our class going to school is a special advantage that we have over others. Many children and even adults is developing countries do not have this advantage. It may seem like such a small advantage but when we think about how far school can take us we realize just how big of an advantage that we have. Students who finish high school and collage make an average of 1 million dollars more than those who don’t. But that that is not the only advantage that we can get from schooling, but because of schooling we can help other we can use our advantages and help change someone else’s life. And especially with the students who go to Elk County Catholic High school they have the advantage of going to a catholic school every day and learning about their faith and coming closer with God. But just because other do not have this opportunity does not mean that they should be looked down on.
(Blog continued)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this quote today the first thing I thought of was the academic assembly yesterday and what the students talked about. They told us how even though the people in the Dominican Republic had so little and they were so happy. Many people would be quick to say that these people have no special advantages because they are so poor and do not have anything. But to me this is very untrue. Special advantages are not just material things that are emotional and spiritual also. The people who live in the worst of the worst poverty have nothing but each other and because they have nothing but each other they all love each other and have such big hearts. In today’s world someone seems to be fighting with someone all the time, we constantly hear stories of husband abusing their wives and parents abusing their children. Many people are missing the concept of true love. But in the poverty the material items that seem to fill the absence of love in the developed countries do not exist so all those people have is love. I think that being loved is one of the greatest advantages that a person can have.
So next time we go to judge someone we all need to think of the advantages that we have had whether that be going to a great school, having a loving family, or simply being able to do certain things that others aren’t able to do such as blog because of our technology that we have constantly in reach. If everyone took the time to do that there would not be such a big gap between those that have so much and those that seem to have so little.
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI disagree with what you said about Nick not staying true to his father's advice throughout the story. At first, he's very open minded, trying to start out his new life. When he looks across his yard and sees Gatsby's house, I don't think he's really jealous. He wants to learn about his neighbor. After meeting Gatsby, I still believe that he tried to live by his father's word. He always asked the other characters things that questioned their morals a little bit. He never really did judge anyone before he met them. I think he liked people for who they were and not because of their wealth. He reminds me a little of a child trying to fit in with an older group. He's a shy in a way and tries his best to become part of what they are. I do agree with your explanation of how it relates to your life. I feel the same exact way.
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
ReplyDeleteI myself had to read this quote multiple times to fully understand what it was saying. What Nick is saying here. I think what he means is that everyone in the world think they are entitled to or they possess a great quality above all others, whether that be honesty, prudence, courage, patience, etc. A "virtue" is the equivalent of a "good quality" or "admirable." Nick here says that his virtue is his honesty.
In the beginning of the story Nick states the advice that his father gave me, like the second quote. Throughout the entire story we see spurts of Nick's honesty and his dishonesty. Honesty in Nick's case isn't so much a moment of truth, but a moment of being open-minded. Before he even meets Gatsby, we don't see him become full of jealousy. He doesn't judge his neighbor for his house or the employee's he sees working on the lawn. He merely wishes to get to know him before he starts making judgments. Even after he meets Gatsby he doesn't judge him necessarily. He asks questions and believes the things that Gatsby tells him are true, like that he was an Oxford man and where his money came from.
Nick's dishonesty definitely starts to grow throughout the story however. There is a strong difference between lying to a person and evading the truth. Straight up lying to a person is much different than simply not telling them what you are thinking or feeling. In the case of Jordan and Nick, we don't see Nick deliberately lie to Jordan and tell her that he's in love with her. He may not have told her that he wasn't, but he never said that he way. Jordan and Nick were always around each other and talking, leading Jordan to believe that Nick was indeed in love with her. In the end we see how Jordan tells Nick that she thought he was very honest, his "secret pride," but she realizes that he wasn't honest at all with his feelings towards her.
Nick then retaliates with the line "I'm thirty. I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor." I think this is almost like a response or maybe a reciprocal of the quote at the top that I started with. When Jordan is telling him all these things about how he "threw her over" and he was dishonest with her Nick flips his statement from earlier in the story by saying that he is too old to lie to himself anymore. What he means here is that he has finally come to the realization that he isn't really higher or more "virtuous" than any of the other people in his life. He realizes that he is capably of lying, being caught up in money, judging people. This also though may have something to do with the fact that Nick was now thirty.
Overall, we see how Nick is a dynamic character that changes from thinking he is so honest to realizing that he too can make mistakes, judgments, and lies. I think it is something everyone can relate to, because we all make mistakes, judgments, and lies just like Nick. We're human. We make mistakes.
Sophie,
DeleteI agree with your interpratation of this quote. Everyone has a little dose of praise for themsleves. They have that one thing that they can give themselves credit for. I disagree with you when you say that after meeting Gatsby he does not judge him. I think Nick judges him on multiple occations. One being his character when he meets with Meyer at lunch, another being the rumors surrounding him, its not like Nick dismisses them and doesnt believe them. To a point he still remains courous about his past, not completely believing Gatsby's word. He also judges him when he offers him a job, and many other occations. When you speak about Nick and Jordan's relationship, I think that he may have just been with her because she was in his "crowd". You see a lot of people dating just because they are in the same group of friends. Your paragraph about Nick turning thiry, I agree with 100%.
Sophie,
DeleteI agree with much of what you said. Nick was so sure of himself in that he was an honest person, that I think that maybe he did not even realize when he was being dishonest. I do not agree, however, with how you said that Nick did judge Gatsby. To me, Nick did judge him kind of a lot. As Kristin mentioned, whenever he heard the rumors about Gatsby they just added to Nick's image and opinion of Gatsby. However, by the end of the story, I do believe that Nick finally figured out who Gatsby was, and realized that he was one of the best people in the story. We see this when Nick says something like "He was better than the whole lot of them".
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
ReplyDeleteI find this to be one of the most important quotes in the entire book. This is Nick's defining moment between reliable character or not. This quote is said in the very beginning of the book before we even meet any other characters. As the story goes on we can be our own judge on whether or not Nick realy lived by this piece of advice or not. I think Nick is trying to protray himself as a follower of this quote, especially when he says "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." This is his way of stating that he thinks that he follows his father's advice. I, on the other hand, do not think he follows this piece of advice for a second. He is judgemental right off the bat when he instantly judges Tom and his "hulky" being, and Jordan for cheating in her golf tournament. He judges Gatsby when he tells of his past, and maybe most of all, he judgest Meyer Wolfshime at lunch. As the story proceeds we see many accounts on which Nick is going against his "moto" so to speak
Although Nick does not always follow this advice I think he is honestly trying to follow it, and he truly wants to follow it, but with pressures of society it can be very dificult to be an honest, nonjudgemental person. He has surrounded himself with judgemental people such as Tom. I think Nick also believes that he is an honest man until he turns thiry and states "I am thirty. I am five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor." At this point he realizes that he was never the person he thought he was. He was simply lying to himself, although deep down I feel like he had to have known that he wasnt an honest man.
Regardless of this quote's influence and importance in the novel, this is a quote that every one could take into their own lives and change the way they look at things. This is truly a great piece of advice. I know that I am so quick to judge people. I see someone and instantly start judging them before I speak a word to them. I guess you could call it human nature, but that is no excuse. We have SO many advantages. Every single one of us. There is so many people out there that could only dream about the life that we are living. Many of my peers have talked about the people in the Dominican Republic, this is a great example of people who do not have the same advantage as we all do. I think there is even people right in Elk County that do not have the advantages we do. We do not need to look far to see the less fortunate. This is something every single on of us needs to take into our lives and apply it to the way we think about others.
Kristin,
DeleteI completely agree with you when you say, "with pressures of society it can be very dificult to be an honest, nonjudgemental person." Society tells us to lie and that to get to the top we have to step on other people along the way. Some of the actors and athletes we all look up to probably had to lie to get where they are. I think we all lie at times to maintain our happiness.
I also like how you brought up the Dominican. Seeing those pictures of their houses broke my heart. I live in a comfortable home, with more clothes then I need, a brand new car, the nicest phone, and anything I want within reach. Those people struggle for food. Also another advantage I have had in my life is the fact that I get to attend ECC. There are some people in Elk County that want to go to our school, but can not afford it. Also, we are all looking at colleges and not really thinking about the price, some of us knowing our parents will help with the cost, while there are people who end up working minimum wage jobs because college is out of reach. I know I am very lucky.
Kristin,
DeleteI really liked how you related and extra quote into your blog that related to the one that you blogged about (the second one). I do agree with you when you said that deep down Nick was lying to himself and he knew it. So many times it is so much easier to lie to our selves than tell ourselves the truth. We don’t get hurt as often and we are able to see our self as the perfect person. I think though that lying to ourselves is when we can hurt people the most. Just because we do not lie to them does not mean that we aren’t hurting them. If we can’t see the truth with our selves how are we supposed to share the truth with others? Every time that we hurt someone we lie to ourselves and say that it is okay. This is what I think that Nick did and this is why I do not think that he truly lived by his father’s words. He lied to himself that he did not judge people. I like the concluding part of your blog the most however. Yes I admit it I am horrible at judging people before I meet them but I have no room to. I have so many advantages that God gave me so many little things that I over look everyday because I am so used to it but these advantages re what others dream for. We all need to realize that we are all blessed in our own way.
I chose the quote, "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." I think Nick said this, but I chose this quote because it caused me to think a lot more, about the story and life in general.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought of when I read this quote was, everyone wants to have virtues. However, it is very unlikely that a person can have every virtue you can think of. We all want to think that we are honest, trustworthy, faithful, considerate, along with so many other things. However, I think that Nick stating that he is honest shows a lot about his character. I also think that him stating that he knows very few honest people he makes a profound statement. Sometimes, I find it hard to trust every person I know, I even doubt some of my closest friends at times. I think it is truly hard to believe anybody is honest, especially in today’s society.
I think Nick stating this is also kind of weird. I feel that in a way he is lying to himself. He wants to see himself as honest, but does an honest person sit back and watch two different people have an affair? I know if you are honest, it would be hard for you to hide that from someone, especially a relative. Daisy is his cousin, however he goes to the city with Tom and Myrtle, but never goes back and says a word. Then he watches Daisy have an affair with Gatsby. Once again, he does not say anything, even when confronted by Tom about Gatsby. He lies and says he is not really sure where Gatsby got his money, even though he thinks he has an idea. I do not think a person should call themselves honest if they can not tell the truth. Hiding something can be as bad as lying about it. Hiding those affairs is not telling the truth, it could be covering it up. That is the opposite of an honest person.
The next thing I thought of is, this book is based on people lying to one another. If everyone was honest, this book would have never worked. It started out with lies and it ultimately ended with lies. To be frank, no one in this book is honest. This book revolves around affairs and covering things up. If I had to pick a person to say was honest in this book, I would not pick Nick. I would probably pick Mr. Wilson. However, he is such a small character his honesty does not change a thing. He is lied to throughout the entire book, but yet he remains clueless until the end. However, at the end he kills Gatsby because of something he thought Gatsby. In the end, he ends up just like the others. If you are an honest and virtuous person, you do not shoot someone off of a rumor. Gatsby got killed because he was caught in a string of lies.
Going back to what I originally said. We all want to think of ourselves as virtuous, however we all have our faults. Like Nick, if we think we are honest, we really need to take time out and look at ourselves and our personalities. They may not be as wonderful as we think. Also, society thrives on the fact that no one is as honest as they say they are. The best selling book, movies, and even the most watched television shows are based on lies and deceit. Some things may show honesty, but people find them so boring. Life as we know it today would be so different if people told the truth all of the time.
Steph,
DeleteI enjoy how you did the first quote because honestly when I first read it I did not get it at all. But I really like the way you talked about it. You are so right everyone does like the think that they are virtuous and perfect. But this is in no way the truth in today’s society. I think that honestly that is why people lie so much. They do not want to think that they can ever do bad so they lie to themselves. This is how so many lies start, by people lying to themselves. I do agree that Nick was not truthful and lied, but I did not agree when you said that he lied to Daisy and Tom about the other cheating on the other. When Nick goes to their house for dinner the very first time and Tom gets a phone call and Jordan says that he has another lady. Daisy never comes out and says that she knows that he has a mistress but with the way she acts we get the idea that she does know that he does. I especially get this feeling when she saying how he is hulking and has hurt her. She is trying to show Nick and Jordan that her marriage is not what they think and she knows that. Tom also starts to realize that Daisy and Gatsby are more than just friends especially at the party at Gatsby that they attend and Daisy and Gatsby were off alone together and left Tom at the party. So then how can we say that Nick lied to Tom and Daisy about each of them having an affair? I think that Nick was just trying to live his life he never intended to get so tangled up with everyone but he did, and he saw how their life style and society lead to their downfalls. He tired to be honest but when you are all around lies it is easier to just fit in than make everything else so much worse.
Steph,
DeleteYou brought up something that I never thought about. If Nick was an honest person he would have done things differently throughout the story. Even though he claims that he is an honest person, does not mean that he is. As you said with him not saying anything to Daisy after finding out about Tom and Myrtle, Nick is not as much of an honest person as he thought he was. The question of whether or not Nick is a reliable narrator is very arguable. However, this new point that you have brought to my attention leans to the unreliable narrator. If Nick tells us that he is an honest person, and his actions do not support that then why should we believe anything else he says. I do not think that there is a correct answer concerning Nick's reliability. I think that if you can support your opinion then your opinion is valid. I personally, even with this new point, believe that Nick is a reliable character. I think he was doing his best to mind his own business and stay out of it.
Of the two quotes, I chose the first. It was always an interesting quote that just struck me odd. In the book there are several amazing lines, but this one seems to stand out more than many of the others. Nick himself states that he believes he is one of the few honest people he ever knew. Which, I find, in itself is a lie. There is not a single person who has never told a lie. In childhood, before we are even aware of the repercussions of our words, we often lie to get out of trouble. Just as I am, and all are, Nick is guilty of this as well. He has told lies on his own.
ReplyDeleteOne example of his lies would be when he told Daisy to come over to his house alone. This was betraying Tom’s trust of him. And while he did not verbally lie, it was the equivalent of such. He deceived others. He had never told Daisy that Gatsby would be there. This was a betrayal of her trust also.
Each of the characters, at some point, does lie. Myrtle, to her husband, lied about her fidelity. Tom, to his wife, lied about his own fidelity. Daisy, to Tom and Gatsby, lied about her actual love. Jordan, to nearly everyone, lied about something. Gatsby, to everyone, lied about his actual background. George, to Tom, lied about simply feeling ill and not that he had discovered what Myrtle had done. Nick lies about his involvement and then covers up what he knows.
Not a single character is actually innocent. I believe that this is a testament to the fact that human nature is flawed. We can not all be perfect. By saying each person has one cardinal virtue is an inaccurate statement. There are some people who are bereft of all moral rectitude and others who try their best but simply can not achieve it. To perfect any virtue is impossible. We are all prone to fail at one point.
I realize this may be a very cynical take on the quote but it is how I view the situation. You may notice that throughout the story, people become increasingly less honest. This is because they get caught up in the web of their own lies. I can’t remember who but someone mentioned in class that after a while it is hard to keep up with the lies you told. It is like the snowball effect. Once the lie has been told, or in other words the snowball has been made, it continues to be piled on with more and more lies. For a while, you can keep track of that frozen ball but eventually, you will hit the point going downhill wher e it moves faster than you can.
In the end, I do think Nick tries to get back to that virtue he once thought he had. He cuts off all ties with the people who negatively influenced him but that really does not correct the fact that he had lied. I also think Nick may be too close to the situation to even see that he is lying to others or doing the wrong thing. Sometimes, when we are too involved in something, we miss the most obvious things.
Overall, I think that it is a good quote but relatively untrue. Nick is a symbol for all of us. We always think that there is some good in us but it is equaled out with some bad as well. Nick didn’t know how in the wrong he actually was.
Alex,
DeleteI think you make a very valid argument when you state that Nick was betraying Tom's trust in him. I never thought about that in the story while I was reading it. I think a key theme in this novel is trust. The trust of Myrtle and her husband, or Daisy and Tom, even the trust of Nick and Gatsby. I think every character in the story has their own threads of trust, but they end up becoming tangled together creating a huge mess of lies and deceit. I think the old saying could stand true here, "You can't make everyone happy."
I'd have to disagree with you though when you say that "not a single character is actually innocent." I think Myrtle's husband is. Mr. Wilson is just naive and trying to do everything he can to make his wife happy. I think he genuinely loved his wife, and did not commit any sort of crime during the story. I think everything he ever did was for the love of his life, Myrtle. However, he did end up killing Gatsby. I think the motivation behind that though was very innocent, even if he did commit a murder.
It's something to think about.
Nice blog though!!
Dearest Alex,
DeleteI like how you stated the "the snowball effect." That is a great analagy and so true. Once someone tells a lie they have to remember it and not get their stories mixed up. It just becomes a big ole mess! But due to Stephanies response to you I totally disagree!!! I don't think killing anyone can be justified despite their motives. I agree George was a wonderful husband and person trying to make Myrtle happy, but he killed Gatsby. Gatsby died because of George but George wanted revenge because he thought he killed Myrtle. So your pretty much saying an eye for an eye? But that would make the world go blind. I don't think that George actions were justified by any means.
Alex, I thought you did a wonderful job on your blog. You brought back some of the points we went over in our group discussions from last week, and made some new inferences. However, I disagree with a few of your statements. I don’t feel George lied when he said he was ill. Many of us have suffered from some form of heartache. Be it someone we know dies, a break up, or even someone having to leave for an extended period of time. These situations are always sad and if the person doesn’t know how to cope very well they may suffer from both mental and physical instabilities. The physical is seen in George’s sickness, and the mental in his decision to kill Gatsby after Myrtle’s death. Also, I believe that we can strive for virtue. Many people have struggled with sin; it has been around for eternity and will still be here for some time to come. Yet we are what gives sin its power, if we chose to stop and make the effort the sin will not be as affective. Though like anything it can be an addition, and additions are hard to break. Some people never overcome them, but they also can learn to live with the need. An example is rehabilitation: some people do well and never go back (though the desire may still be there), and others constantly find themselves coming back because they could not keep clean. I do agree with what you said about Nick trying to return to his old self again, and that he was “too close to the situation to even see that he is lying to others.” You made some very strong points, and are a very thorough reader. Great job, Alex; and keep up the good work.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it sort of gets the book started off and prepares the reader for things that may happen. Everyone comes from different walks of life, poor, middle class, or wealthy, and everyone achieved this status in different ways whether you inherited wealth like Tom, married into more wealth, like Daisy, or obtained wealth like Gatsby. Also I Noticed that at the parties that Gatsby would have everyone was judging him and gossiping about him. “ I heard he killed a man once,” Is what one of the individuals at the party stated. Even though they are this magnificent party having a blast they still question their host.
Nicks father said this to him. I find two sides of Nick that I can’t quite wrap my finger around which side I choose. He constantly tells the reader that he doesn’t judge or that he is an honest man but as one continues to read the story we find this statement contradicting. I do think that Nick tries not judge people but we are only human and it is in our nature. It happens to everyone, we find ourselves judging people whether we mean to or not. Because of this I do like Nick because if I were in his shoes, how could you not judge or criticize? Tom having an affair with Myrtle, what are you supposed to say? Good for you old sport! I don’t think so, I’d probably judge if I were in Nick shoes. Or how did Gatsby inherit all of his wealth? These questions arise criticism.
Despite all of this I think Nick still did a pretty good job and I honestly think that he tries his best not too. He had everyone secrets to hold and that in itself is a hard job to keep one’s sanity. He knew pretty much everything that was going on with everybody. If chosen to, he could expose everyone and ruin them but he chose not to. In this world we find ourselves judging and criticizing people that our different from us, maybe they wear different clothes, eat different things, speak differently. It doesn’t matter what they do, somehow we find something to judge them on. All in all, I think Nick stayed true to this quote as best as any man could. It’s hard and no one is perfect or flawless.
Laira,
DeleteI too, thought what you said in the last paragraph. Nick was the confidant of almost all of the main characters throughout the story. He knew so many secrets, and that is a huge burden to bear. I hope that if I ever have to hold onto that many deep, dark secrets that I would be able to keep them locked up tight like Nick did. Also, I believe that your right about Nick. He tried to live by his father's advice, but just like the best of people, he struggled at times. That is only reasonable, though, because as humans, no one is perfect.
Laira,
DeleteI first of all would love to say how you view the fact they they each reached their social status in a different way is genius. It is true that Tom, Daisy, Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby all came across their wealth in different manners. And that certainly shows in their behaviors. But I disagree that Daisy married into money. She had originally been wealthy. When she first met Gatsby, she even states, she believed he was of the same social class as her. While she did get more money from Tom, she always had it. And her refined behaviors with her lazy habits make her a perfect example of that level of society.
I also love how you brought Nick's honesty into question. But I disagree that he knew everything that was going on with everybody. He did not know Gatsby's true nature until the very end of the story when Tom brings it up. He also did not know of George planning to kill Gatsby. But it is true that when he discovered such things, he could have very well exposed them.
In whole, I think you had a wonderful analysis of the quote! Great job!
For my quote I chose the first one; "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
ReplyDeleteMy first and immediate reaction to this quote is simply, “Liar!” There is no way that anyone, even Nick, is completely honest. If he really believes that then he is lying to himself. Everyone lies, whether it is small, little white lies here and there, or huge lies that lead to all sorts of trouble. Another way people lie, per say, is by not telling the whole truth or evading the truth. This is the way that, to me, many people are dishonest. Rather than tell the whole truth to others, such as what one is really thinking or feeling, people do not tell others. They simply leave the other people to keep thinking whatever it is they are thinking, whether what they think is the truth is really true or not. This is seen very clearly in the Great Gatsby, with Nick and Jordan. Throughout the story, Nick and Jordan are together often, and to Jordan and even to me, it appears that they are a thing; that Nick really cares about and maybe even loves Jordan. However, what we see here is Nick not telling the whole truth. He lets Jordan think that he truly cares for her and does not say anything to either affirm or deny such thoughts. So at the end of the story, it is really easy to understand why Jordan flips out at Nick, after he pretty much abandoned her when she really needed him. She called him, needing him and believing she could count on him, but she did not know that she really could not because Nick never told her the whole truth. Although, to Nick’s defense, he never did say that she could count on him, just did not say she could not. So despite Nick’s belief that he was such an honest, virtuous person, we the readers find out that he does quite live up to his own expectations, and in the story he himself comes to realize this.
Scott, I agree with what you said about people evading the truth. This reason is why courts find it necessary to swear in witnesses saying, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?” If they didn’t include the part on “the whole truth” people would simply leave out the parts of the story that would influence the trial to go the way they wanted and a fair trial would never exist. We also tend to do this to friends. “Do I look fat in this?” “Oh, wow that’s a great color on you.” They just simply evade the question, and stick to something the person would like to hear.
DeleteScott,
DeleteI love how you covered your reaction because mine was quite similar. I think is something we can all empathize with. There really is no one who is completely honest. I also loved that you brought in all the different types of lies. Many people do not consider evading the truth as lying but I do and obviously so do you. I think Nick mainly wants to make everyone happy so he sees no wrong in his actions. It is like the quote from the story about how you can't hid from God, though. No matter what he did, it was a lie and he couldn't hide the nature of his actions.
Great job! Saying Nick doesn't live up to his own expectations is a perfect conclusion.
Scott, I liked how you picked the less popular quote. It has an interesting meaning. It almost goes along with his first quote, "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." It almost seems that throughout the book he is trying to tell himself that he is not a bad person, that he is and honest person. But as you said, he does “evade the truth” with his relationship with Jordan, also I think that he is very unhonest because he knows so much, like how tom, myrtle, and daisy are cheating, yet he does not even mention this with any of the affected parties. Also in the end, he doesn’t let it be known that daisy was the true murderer.
DeleteScott,
DeleteYour blog is so straight forward, I love it. Between your blog and Morgan's I feel like you two are reading my mind! Saying that he's one of the few honest people is so hypocritical because for one thing who is he to judge who is honest and who's not. I agree with the point you made about people not telling the whole truth, because often someone will think they are telling the truth because they didn't necessarily tell a lie. When my sister and I were little my parents used to always say "Half of the truth is still a lie" and it didn't mean much to me then because I wasn't saying anything that wasn't true but now I realize how much wisdom that statement holds. The truth can be twisted and contorted. It only means something if it is all there.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had." This quote taken from the second paragraph of The Great Gatsby is very inspirational. These words give the readers an idea to dwell on, in whichever way their minds may perceive.
ReplyDeleteReaders first pick up the notion that Nick, the narrator, is a trustworthy man. He does not judge others, as his father warned him in the form of the quote above. Nick claims in the paragraph before the quotation that he had “been turning [the advice] over in [his] mind ever since.” So the reader distinguishes him as the most reliable character in the book, but later those views are diminished by Nick’s actions throughout the story. He instantly judges Gatsby, Myrtle, Wolfsheim, and several others after hearing rumors about them.
Another point in the quote is “all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” This personally is a remarkable portion of the quote because of the reference to him being better off than the whole world. This meaning even the rich people like Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy that Nick was aspiring to be like were less fortunate than Nick. Nick had managed to have a fairly normal lifestyle. He was not poor, yet he was not so overwhelmingly wealthy that he suffered from the struggles his rich acquaintances were facing. This made him better off than both the world of the rich and the world of the poor. He had more advantages than “all the people in this world.”
I find this quote a great feat to strive for. I personally find it attainable, though we all gossip and judge others there are many people who have held their tongue before and prevented their personal feelings influence decisions. Many great saints have struggles with speaking justly to and about others; but through the vows of obedience and the Ten Commandments, they have found the strength to stay in the right, as we should all aspire to, too.
Dearest Maura,
DeleteI was not clear on the statement if you think that Nick is a reliable or isn’t? You said that he doesn't judge others but we find that he does? This may just be me but I don't find it clear. I think in a way he is and isn't. He does judge but because we all do it, I do not think any narrator could be totally not bias in this situation. I agree with how you said Nick is not entirely wealthy nor poor but yet somehow ends up in this fabulous world because of his connections to his cousin Daisy and his dashing neighbor Gatsby.
Maura,
DeleteAs with Laira, I do not find that your stand point on if Nick is a reliable narrator or not. I personally do not find him as a reliable narrator, he says not to judge and then he does. But I often wonder does he know it? Many of us do things and don’t even know it, yet complain about other people who do it. I also think it is extremely hard to find a reliable narrator if not impossible, one of the many things that make literature so interesting. But you did make a good point in saying that he is the only one who had the advantage of not being rich. As the slide show on the Dominican pointed out, the poorest of the poor, have it all. They know no other joy in life then to live for life, whereas the rich, such as Daisy sit around bored with nothing to life for. Fitzgerald really left us with quite a discussion even all these years later.
Maura, I like what you said about Nick getting the advantages of both the poor and the rich. He is a middle class man, who is working for what he wants. He gets to know the feeling of hard work, and knows what it means to work for something you love. This is contrasted with Daisy, who didn’t have to work for anything in her life. She had suitors flocking to her house, and each would have given his right hand to be able to marry her. She told Gatsby that she would wait for him until after the war, but the suitors kept following her, and she eventually just picks one. I think the thought that ran through her mind was that she could just find someone else if this marriage didn't work, that men were easy to find. This is why she settled for Tom, though she didn’t really want to marry him.
Delete"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
ReplyDeleteThis quote sets up the story perfectly. This statement allows us, as readers, to view the narrator to have fewer opinions than the normal person. The quote shows that the narrator most likely came from a decent family, and can be assumed to likely has some what good values. Throughout the story the narrator struggles to keep his judgments of people to a minimum, but as the story continues, he becomes more judgmental. The second half of the quote does mention or hint, that Nick (the one who quoted this in a discussion with his father) has had some advantages in his life. As we had read in the Great Gatsby, we find that he does have a decent job and a somewhat good life. You could compare his life to that of Gatsby’s, he was poor and had taken some “advantages” some of them being bad choices, but he ends up rich. Nick is the median between Gatsby and George Wilson. Wilson had worked hard and he does not have many advantages in life, he does love his wife very much, but that is the only thing he really has; his wife cheats on him and then is killed. This quote could also go along with the theme of “the American dream” because everyone striving for this dream needs advantages to get “on top of the pile” to be wealthier.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteElizabeth,
DeleteIn your second sentence I could already tell you that I see your point slightly different then you do. I think that yes, Nick did have a good family, and then can be told by his father's advice given to him. But I also think that it tells us Nick has one advantage that many people today still don't. Nick had the advantage of a good family. So many of us take our families for granite, as if we didn’t hear that one enough? Also I’m not quite sure I see what comparison you’re making about Jay. But I am glad you pointed out Nick as the median point in between Jay and George, because I have never even thought about it. George is my favorite in the book even though he played a minor character. George loved Myrtle so much; he didn’t even see her for her, a mean manipulative women. George is the one character who I think did no wrong to get to his point in life where the novel begins. George did that simple things in life; go the work, do your best and don’t outsmart your common sense. He worked hard for his marriage and he never got what he deserved for it. However I do not justify George killing Jay, but George truly did live the life of a common man which brings the Great Gatsby to a level that is more relatable.
Elizabeth, your statement of Nick being the “median” between George and Gatsby was very well phrased. Nick had some advantages that George did not, and some that Gatsby did not. He started off better than George, but still had to work for his position. Gatsby did not have to work that hard to get his money, and he inherited some of it. Nick could be called the “perfect balance” of advantages in life.
DeleteSince I already blogged on the first quote in our last assignment I choose this one “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is said very early on from Nick’s father to Nick. It is one of the many parts of the book that made it very hard for me to put it down. I feel as though this quote can refer too much in the book as much as it does in present today. In the book, I first relate this quote to one specific part of the discussion we had in class. I remember many of us fighting back and forth on why Daisy left after Gatsby’s death. At first my opinion agreed with the majority of people. Daisy’s bad character was added to when she left and almost supported by it. But Mitchell made a very good point that I agree more with. Maybe it was just easier for Daisy that way. This now stands as my opinion on Daisy. She deceived us all till the end, but I truly believe in the end Daisy couldn’t face that she was a partial reason for Gatsby’s death and as many of us try today, instead of dealing with our problems she too fled avoiding them, burying them in the only safety she knew, Tom. I think that Daisy was criticized by us all. We assumed that she was so horrible but how are we to know what wasn’t best for her? How many of us can really say we’ve been in her shoes.
I also relate this to Gatsby’s character. I really harshly judged Jay at the beginning of the story. I was completely shocked that he could look at himself in the mirror when he woke up and not feel ashamed. I thought any man who could make up a fake life for a girl, didn’t quite get what life was about. But how could I judge him? I knew nothing about his life. When I looked at Jay’s life from a different stand point, I found myself with a different opinion yet again. I had judged Jay without knowing how much he really loved Daisy. Isn’t that what we all dream for, that one guy to come and throw rocks at our window, or putting that glass slipper on our foot with just that oh so perfect fit. Gay did what he had to, to get Daisy. He wasn’t going to give up even if he had to be someone else to have her. Jay had one advantage that I doubt any of us really know. He knew love that he loved Daisy so much, it hurt. Jay loved Daisy to the point he would, and did anything. So how can we judge Jay for making up a fake life of success when we haven’t felt that love that he has? Maybe Jay was just brave enough to fight for what he wanted and didn’t settle even when he should have.
I also felt this quote to be carried out in Nick’s life. Personally, I think if I knew so much of everyone else’s lies and deceit I would explode with the morality of having to tell Daisy about Myrtle or Tom about Jay or George about Tom. But who am I to say I would tell them if I was Nick? Nick may have done what he thought was right. I can’t say I would have told anyone about the lies they were told because I haven’t had that chance.
Many of us say that “if I was her or him I would have done it this way…” Fitzgerald relates to this, I haven’t had all the same advantages in life as someone else, or maybe even some disadvantages that made that person better so I can’t say they were wrong till I’ve been there and done that too.
“everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people I have ever known.”
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote has great symbolism in the book. Though there is evidence that Nick is an honest author, sometimes the reader still questions whether or not he is. For example, the first time we are led to believe is this quote. He comes right out and tells us that he will tell the truth. But, as readers, we have to be a little skeptical of his truthfulness, as he is part of the story. He is acting in the plot, so he must have an opinion about what is going on. We see another example of this, concerning the other quote about not criticizing anyone. Nick does not regret his last words to Gatsby, which was a compliment, though he says afterward that it was the first time he has not judged Gatsby, and that he had disliked him since they had first met. As a reader, we notice this change in attitude, and wonder whether he is a truthful man or not. This theme also applies to the rest of the characters, as everyone is betraying the rest. The reader wonders how much the characters really know about each other. It seems in the story that most knew what their spouses were doing, but they either don’t care or do not show that they know. For example, Jordan tells Nick that Daisy has full knowledge of Myrtle, and she has known from the start. But when Myrtle calls Tom at lunch, Daisy does not do anything, and is still cordial to Tom. The reader is led to believe that she either doesn’t care that her husband is cheating on her, or that she is too stupid to notice, because its not like Tom makes it a secret that someone is calling him.
Linnea,
DeleteI see your points on Nick's character. He appears to be truthful and he goes along with the plot. His general, superficial actions are only an act. What he is really thinking is what we must attempt to substitute. Nick could be considered a dynamic character because at first he says that he is honest but as the novel goes on we discover otherwise. Either his opinions of people are swayed, most likely because of the manipulative Daisy, or he has always been this way and that above quote is false. Daisy seems nice and gentle but knowingly or unknowingly corrupts Nick and his opinion of the world. Nevertheless, Nick is loyal to Gatsby throughout the entire novel. This shows one side of honestly to one person. To others? Now that's a different story.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
ReplyDeleteI chose the second quote because when I read it, it just kept replaying itself in my head. It was a line in the book that I looked at a few times to determine the meaning of, because it seemed important to me. In my opinion this quote says to not judge anyone. After we were assigned this blog I read the quote, then I spent a day thinking about it and in a way it opened my eyes and made me think about all the times I’ve unfairly judged people, just because it’s human nature. It’s human nature to judge someone by the first impression, but just as the popular saying goes; don’t judge a book by its cover.
This quote made me think that we really don’t know anyone. There is so much more to every single person than that which meets the eye. The people we see in school every day and even the people we’re friends with have so much more to them than we know. You don’t know what anyone’s life is like at home, outside of school, or what they go through each day. We might judge someone and say that they’re mean but there is so much more to it, there is no way we can understand why someone acts the way they do and it’s not fair to judge what we don’t understand. Everyone has their own insecurities and their own crosses to bear, including ourselves. It is not our place to judge anyone. We don’t know the advantages and disadvantages of anyone’s lives but our own. If there is one point I want to get across in this blog it is this; no matter how much one thinks they know about other people, we really don’t know the half of it. Most of the time we don’t even know what we really know, we don’t know what’s true and we don’t know how much of their story we actually know. In the end you only know the details about yourself, and you should use that knowledge to improve your views and your attitude instead of judge other people’s. It’s amazing how a person can think that they know enough about a person to judge their life just by going to school with them.
Writing this blog made me realize how much people judge each other and I’ll admit that, no matter how hard I try, I am no exception. It made me see people in a new light. It helped me to know, that I don’t really know.
Maria
DeleteIn the first paragraph of your blog I really like how you admit that the quote opened your eyes to times that you have unfairly judged people. We are all guilty of having judged people before we really get to know them. Just as you said it's human nature to judge a book by its cover. In this day and age we are so wrapped around how people look and we judge solely on fashions and aesthetics. If a new kid were to come to a party wearing some old sweatpants and a ratty dirty t-shirt, not many would run to his side to be his friends and really he would probably be snubbed. Though, if a new kid were to come to a party with some Hollister jeans on and some fresh Nikes with Beats Headphones around his neck you would be attracted to go talk to him. This is the problem of judging a book by its cover because they could have exactly the same personality. "This quote made me think that we really don't know anyone." This point you made was brilliant because there really is so much to more to learn than just the quality of clothing a person wears. I'm glad that this quote hit you so strongly just as it did me.
Maria,
DeleteI will both agree and disagree with you. I disagree more than agree with you. I agree that we all judge people and it is truly a shame.
My main disagreement is that we are human and we make mistakes. More specifically, we judge people, naturally. In my humble opinion I feel like we make fun of people and judge them for a short lived happiness or boasting. We may be jealous of their talents or abilities or we may simply be putting on a façade for others. It may spark a laugh or you may be more 'liked' by the 'cool' kids around you. Judging is human. Bettering yourself and striving to be your best? Now that's human too. It is definitely much harder than finding the bad. The good is out there, regardless of how much we know about this person.
People in general show their true colors of what they want others to think of them. Granted, this is also a façade but don't delve deeper into someone's dark personal life.
Of course, I'm not directing this to you. It is simply a statement to all of mankind.
Everybody has something that they can call a good quality or a cardinal virtue. The virtue could be honesty, modesty, or charity. Does everyone in the world necessarily have a cardinal virtue? Maybe, maybe not, but I do think that everyone believes that they have a good quality. I may think I am a very honest person but if I lie to my friend, even if it is just once, how honest will he think I am? We learn from this quote that Nick, the narrator, fancies himself a very honest person. This is reinforced in the book right after the quote when Nick tells us that he will always tell us the truth. So we ask ourselves is Nick really an honest person or is he just simply suspecting himself of an honest person? When I was reading I really struggled with trusting a narrator that was actively involved in the story. After reading the conclusion to the book and looking back at the story though, I really thought there was no reason not to trust Nick and if he fancies himself an honest person, then I give him the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story how do we know that Nick is honest? Does he ever show us times of dishonesty? One thing that really bothered me about Nick was how he was silent the whole time he was in the middle of multiple affairs. Nick was right in the middle of Tom’s affair with Myrtle. In my opinion if Nick was as honest as he says he would have struggled with an inner conflict to not tell Tom’s wife. What makes this even worse is that Tom’s wife was Nick’s loving cousin Daisy! Daisy who loved her dearest cousin Nick, and he refused to let Daisy know what was going on so she would have had a reason to leave her terrible relationship to be with her true love Gatsby. Nick obviously also knows that Daisy and Gatsby need to be together and he does nothing to help his cousin. Nick’s lack of telling his cousin the truth makes me believe that he isn’t always honest.
Abby was having trouble posting, so here is her blog and responses.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, THIS IS ABBY
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
Out of curiosity, I looked up the four cardinal virtues using a generalized cite. (Works cited can be found at the end of this blog.) There are four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude. By definition, none are really the exact definition of what Nick is implying in the preceding quote. Prudence means having wisdom or being able to judge wisely. Justice is doing what is right. Temperance is “self-control”. Fortitude is the ability to be strong, and not to have fear. If I had to pick any of these Cardinal Virtues I would pick Prudence for Nick. Why? I chose this because Nick is “in the know” with all of the cheating, with all of the lies, with all of the immorality going on, and he knows that each and every one of them is wrong. I believe, because he knows that this is wrong, he feels that he is being honest with himself because he can distinguish from right and wrong. This is possibly why he finds himself to be an honest person. In actuality, Nick is being virtuous, but identifying honesty as a Cardinal Virtue is somewhat humorous not only on Nick’s part, but on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s part as well, unless he meant to do that.
When reading the story, this particular quote stuck right out to me. When I first read this line, I found myself thinking how conceded this statement sounds, and could not really believe what Nick was saying. However, after reading it again, I felt that this line was actually factual in Nick’s case without recognizing the Cardinal Virtue’s error.
This particular line occurs when Nick is in the room with Daisy and Jay Gatsby, watching them reconnect in not only a friendly way, but almost an intimate way as well. Up until a recent visit to his cousin’s house I think that he did believe that everyone in his life was honest. However, the first bad news is broken by Jordan. Tom was cheating on Daisy, making this long time friend from college a liar. After this occurs, we find out Tom’s mistress is Myrtle, a married woman from the Valley of Ashes who is lying to her husband about the affair. Then Daisy begins to lie about her visits with Gatsby, making up to three people in his life consistent liars. Finally, at the end of the book, Jordan Baker, whom Nick was very fond of, ended up leaving him and went to get married to some other man. This in a sense makes her out to be a liar as well. Jordan, Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby are really the only consistent people in Nick’s life, so therefore his statement “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” is in fact true. He is surrounded by liars, and almost every character in this story, apart from Jay’s father, can be considered a consistent liar, and the worst part is, most of them almost got away with their persistent lies.
"Cardinal Virtues." From Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. , 24 January 2012. Web. 5 Feb 2012. .
Abby
DeleteI am glad that you looked up the real meaning of the four cardinal virtues and explained them. I was surprised to find that none of the four virtues were really honesty as Nick described his virtue. I think that prudence is a good cardinal virtue for Nick because he is in the middle of EVERYTHING throughout the story. I'm not sure if Nick really realizes how wrong and immoral everything going around him is. If he realized how terrible all of the affairs were and if he really was honest he would have told his lovely cousin Daisy that she was being wrongfully cheated on by her husband Tom. But if this were the case the Nick should have also told Tom that Daisy was busy with Gatsby when she went to visit Nick. Prudence is a quality the Nick definitely has, but is he honest with his information? I really don't know because he is in a very, very difficult situation being in the middle of so many affairs.
ABBY'S RESPONSES
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
I have to disagree with your opening statement. There are some truly evil people in this world that do not care if they tell lies, cheat, are able to be trusted, or any other virtuous deeds. Although most people you know have somewhat of a conscience, there is always that “bad apple”. I do agree with your statement on how nick may be lying to himself. Just because he believes himself to be a good person, because he has done nothing as sinful as those people around him, he still fools himself at times. I also found it humorous how you stated how the book would not have worked if the book would not have been based on lies. There would have been no story line, no action, no drama, and most importantly NOT an American classic novel. Frankly, it would have been boring, the lies make it interesting, and a very good read that I and many other people would highly recommend. Overall, I felt you had strong points.
Laira,
I liked how you started off by saying that everyone achieves their status in different ways. This can be seen especially in the Great Gatsby by distinguishing between East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes. I also liked how you said that everyone comes from different backgrounds; this can also be seen through Gatsby, Daisy and Tom, and George Wilson. They all live where they do because they come from different backgrounds and different social classes.
I do however disagree with your statement that Nick tries hard. If he wanted to end the lies and cheating I personally believe he could have made threats. However, in his nature and through his personality, he may not have. I am torn between the two ideas.
Towards the beginning of the story, Nick tells a little about his background and his internal character. We see that he is honest with himself and obviously with others if he is telling the reader so much. He does not doubt his honesty, stating “Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” His honesty and humbleness could be considered and conflict within what he actually says. He provides crucial information about his blessings when he was younger and says how truthful he believes himself to be. Nick Carraway is an unknowing hypocrite that proves to be a questionable narrator for those who are looking for the truth.
ReplyDeleteMany readers may think of this quote in a literary sense but as I delved in deeper into the plot of the story, I began to understand a more realistic and historic sense of what he is trying to say. In this part of the book, Nick is trying to give a background of how he interprets life. When somebody does this, they recall on their past experiences with people they have met and interacted with. Daisy is a distant cousin to Nick. They explain that they have known each other in the past and interacted with each other. So when Nick says he is one of the few honest people that he knows, he could or could not be including his manipulating cousin. To Nick at first she may seem gentle and innocent (as her name suggests) but as events proceed, he had a rude awakening. Now, on the other hand maybe she was included on the ‘list’ of people that weren’t honest in his eyes. In relation to his countless astute observations, he could have seen this trait in her long before moving to the lunacy of the Eggs. Regardless, Nick is a confusing character that is hard to read.
For Nick to be that in tuned with his life is really quite interesting. To be able to make such a profound statement, one needs to have a deep sense of the world around him and its relation to him. We may think that Nick is logical and has a good understanding of how the world works; therefore he is a good narrator. His trait defines a lot about him. His shrewdness makes for a good narrator to the fickle point of view. With further evaluation of his life, background, and esteemed opinion of Gatsby, the critical reader stumbles upon someone makes decisions and opinions on a whim and therefore not a good narrator. With a line as simple as this, it becomes more evident of his capriciousness.
In the beginning and the end of the novel, with a backing up of the aforementioned quote, Nick doesn’t have much hope in society. He recalls the idea of “few honest people”. The saying “honesty is the best policy” would be helpful to the residents of East Egg, West Egg, and the wretched Valley of Ashes. There is no evidence of an attempt of this good policy.
The term “few honest people” could possibly be a foreshadowing of events to come. This novel is studded with affairs, lies, parties, and mystery. Honestly should not even be considered in the words of this book. Now between the lines, one can see that humans strive for honestly. These characters are no different. They try and are ultimately unsuccessful. Therefore, there are a few honest people in this world.