The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1 Essay example -- English Literature

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1 Read the beginning of the novel chapter 1 up to page 12 â€Å"Tom Buchanan in his riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch.† How effective do you find this as an introduction to Great Gatsby. In your response you should pay close attention to voice, language and style. The Great Gatsby was written by F Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, and is set during 1922, a period tinged with moral failure of a society obsessed with class and privilege. Fitzgerald presents us with the conflict between the illusion and the reality of the American dream. The novel begins in the present tense, and is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the narrator and moral centre of the novel. His tale is told in retrospect. Nick Carraway is a young man from the Mid West, introducing himself as a graduate of Yale and a veteran of World War One. He begins the first chapter by relaying his father’s advice: â€Å"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the same advantages as you’ve had.† He states that he is also â€Å"inclined to reserve all judgement† about people and be a tolerant listener; who is entrusted with people’s secrets. This encourages him to withhold formulating opinions about people until he gets to know them, demonstrating his caution. Nick puts himself forward explicitly, as someone with an above average â€Å"sense of fundamental decencies† which now manifests itself as a wish for â€Å"the world to be in uniform and at a moral attention forever†. This military perspective clearly shows Nick has something of an authoritarian character with a developed instinct for discipline and order. These first pages of Chapter one... ...ds the end of page 9 the reader is given a sense of time and a positive idea of how the modern world is progressing, through the metaphor of â€Å"growing trees† and the â€Å"burst of leaves† creating new life that has potential just like the American Dream. â€Å"Fast movies† (p.9) and the â€Å"telephone† (p.12) symbolise the Twentieth –century technological environment. The growth of cinemas, cars, boats is recognised by the twenties as a decade of mass media and mass production in America. The novel raises the issue of individual worth in such a context. In contrast to this materialistic world, Daisy’s name evokes a delicate flower. The irony here is that her life is conducted in an entirely manufactured environment, distant from the natural world. The key structure of the chapter is the combination of first person narrative and the gradual revelation of the past.

Non-Commissioned Officer the Embodiment of the Corps’ History

Cpl. Stalinsky,Travis Class 318-13 20121202 Squad #1 â€Å"How is the Modern Corps’ Non-commissioned Officer the Embodiment of the Corps’ History and Tradition? † The United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers are the Marines who have proven that they are worthy to handle the responsibility to lead junior Marines. The backbone of the Marine Corps as they have been described as. Their job is not just a few tasks’ it’s a large variety of tasks. It requires them to be professional, have courage, and integrity to set the example for others to follow and look to for guidance; thus emulating the corps history nd traditions.Throughout history the loyalty and commitment previous NCO’s have displayed made it a tradition to teach the new NCO’s picking up rank to carry on the standard, which modern NCO’s can be proud of and carry on with pride. When looking back into Marine Corps history of Medal of Honor recipients, the first on to receive the Medal of Honor was Cpl. John Mackie. He was the very picture of a Marine setting the right example as a non-commissioned. On May 15, 1862 while on board the U. S. S Galena in the Fort Darling attack at Drewry’s Bluff. â€Å"As enemy shellfire raked the deck of his ship, Cpl.Mackie fearlessly maintained his musket fire against the rifle pits along the shore, and when he was ordered to fill vacancies at guns caused by men wounded and killed in action, he manned the weapons with skill and courage†. This standard he set of instant and willing obedience to orders and courage is still what NCO’s to this day uphold. When the word Marine is heard by civilians, the word â€Å"loyal† comes to the top of their head. The modern Marine NCO’s are loyal to everything that is important to them and the Marine Corps. They proudly and loyally serve their country, their Corps, their unit, and themselves.They must show loyalty to their junior Marines. I t’s their job to mke sure their junior Marines have the right tools to be successful, and must always point them in the right for direction; thus gaining the junior Marines trust and respect. The Marine Corps depends on these fundamentals to be able to have efficient units, to have effective leaders to lead Marines into battle, and for Marines to be able to trust one another with each other with their lives. Now we fast forward from Cpl. John Mackie, who was awarded the first Medal of Honor, to a modern day NCO who was also awarded the Medal of Honor.This Marine displayed an abundance of courage, which overshadows all traits; without it we are doomed to fall short in all the other traits. On September 8, 2009 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Cp. Dakota Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of the afghan National Army and Border Patrol into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meet with the village eld ers. The patrol ended up being ambushed by more than fifty enemy combatants. Cpl. Meyer heard over the radio that four U. S. team members were cut off on their way back to safety.Cpl. Meyer had a fellow Marine do the driving while he took up the exposed gunner’s position in a gun truck in attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate his fellow team members. Cpl. Meyer seizing the courage to make this bold and brave action, while under intense enemy fire, killed a number of enemy fighters, made a couple of trips saving and searching for his comrades. His unbelievable courage allowed him to commit to the dangerous task of helping his fellow Marines. This shows why courage is the most important trait because without it how could you face your fears to make the unpopular decision?How would you have the intestinal fortitude to conduct yourself as a Marine on and off duty always making the right decisions? To stand in front of your peers and subordinates and teach them knowledge? This is why NCO’s can lead is because they have the courage to do what is necessary. Modern Marine NCO’s are the true embodiment of the Corps history and traditions because as leaders they emphasize the professional values of their leadership concepts; such as loyalty to the Corps, loyalty to their nation, loyalty to their units, exhibiting selfless services, and their professional responsibilities as an NCO.The two Marine NCO’s that I have discussed have displayed vital points of the Corps history and traditions. The Corps values, leadership traits, and leadership principles that were demonstrated was courage, loyalty, and setting the example. Their actions have set the standards which modern Marine NCO’s take pride in and continue to uphold the tradition.

Lord of the Flies and World War Ii - 1737 Words

Steiner Many things such as social and political environments can impact literature. British involvement in WWII directly influenced Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies. As all authors use their life and times as reference points in their works, Golding drew heavily on sociological, cultural, and military events. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical parallel to the world, as Golding perceived it. The island, the boys, and many other objects and events described in his work represent Goldings view of the world and humankind in general. He specifically incorporates characteristics and values reflective of the British culture. Â…The war taught me different and a lot of others like me, Golding said in the New Republic (Davis 28-30).†¦show more content†¦In Lord of the Flies, Jack and the hunters, who offer the luxury of meat and the comforts of a dictatorship, fill that role. In exchange for his protection, the other boys sacrifice any moral reservations they may have about his policies and enthusiastically persecute the boys who resist joining their tribe. These circumstances somewhat mirror Germanys economic suffering, which paved the way for the radical politics of Adolph Hitlers Nazism in the aftermath of World War I and in the worldwide depression of the 1930s. Based upon his wartime experiences in the British Navy, Golding asserted that the unlimited brutality shown by the Nazis was a capacity not limited to Germans or indeed to any particular group. While the world was horrified by news of the Nazi death camps, Golding felt that none of the nations was too far from committing atrocities o f the same magnitude. According to Golding, humankinds inclination toward evil and violence tied with the psychology of fear motivates humanity to act in unconscionable ways (Davis 28-30). When the United States used the atomic bomb in Japan, more than 100,000 innocent civilians were killed in three days by dropping two bombs. Overall, a total of 55 million people lost their lives in World War II. Such catastrophic violence and loss of life was clearly not lost on Golding: An atomic war causes the boys evacuation in Lord of the Flies, and the sign from the world of grown-ups that the boys so wish for turnsShow MoreRelatedSymbolic Objects that Reflect of World War II in William Goling ´s Lord of the Flies779 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies to draw attention to the chaos in society during the Second World War. Throughout the novel, there is a large amount of symbolism that gives the readers a better understanding of his ideas and concepts. There are many symbolic objects in the Lord of the Flies that help to expand his perception of the Second World War and his theme of there being a little bit of evil and savagery in everyone. T hree of the most important symbolic objects are Piggy’sRead MoreLord of the Flies: World War IIs Impact Essay1064 Words   |  5 PagesLord of the Flies: World War II’s Impact Lord of the Flies by William Golding was influenced strongly by his experiences as a naval officer during World War II. Golding’s wartime service gave him a darker and more realistic look on life, and contributed to the novel’s imagery. As Golding described, World War II woke him up from his falsified beliefs about human nature by showing him the true human condition (â€Å"Lord of the Flies,† Novels 175). Lord of the Flies, as Golding explained, is â€Å"an attemptRead MoreReflection Lord Of The Flies862 Words   |  4 Pages William Goldings Lord of the Flies as Reflection of Society â€Å"Man produces evil, as a bee produces honey, even in something as pure as a child.† --William Golding We come across things that change perspective and it really impacts how we live life. William Golding is a famous author for one of his well known books, The Lord of the Flies, where he makes everyday people change into evil human beings. Lord of the Flies by William Golding, was influenced stronglyRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1123 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel Lord of The Flies by William Golding, the characters Ralph, Piggy, and Jack represent important World War II leaders Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, and Winston Churchill. Golding, who had served in World War II, was well aware of the savagery created, and used it to base his book on. Ralph represents Franklin Roosevelt , Jack represents Adolf Hitler, and Piggy represents Winston Churchill. Ralph being of the novel’s main protagonist is important in the outcome of the story becauseRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1271 Words   |  6 Pagesfight in World War II. Golding has said of th e war, â€Å"I began to see what people were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head† (â€Å"William Golding†). Written in the early 1950’s in Salisbury, England, Lord of the Flies depicts an allegory for World War II which allows for social commentary on the events of the war. Many of the people, symbols, and events of the war reflect theRead MoreLord of the Flies by William Golding932 Words   |  4 Pagesthemes from a novel called Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 after World War II. Ruler of the Flies is a purposeful anecdote about something that many readers can’t really describe. Individuals cant choose precisely what. Its either about the inalienable underhanded of man, or mental battle, or religion, or personal inclination, or the creators emotions on war; however William Golding was in the Navy throughout World War II, or perhaps the greater partRead MoreWilliam Golding1565 Words   |  7 PagesCornwall, England and joined the British Royal Navy at the age of thirty-nine. Consequently, he was in World War II and witnessed the D-Day invasion at Normandy, which destroyed his optimism and scarred him for life. William Golding was a well achieved and admired person in British literature, and his life experiences, including WWII, greatly influenced his works especially Lord Of The Flies. Golding had a very fascinating life. He was born to Alec and Mildred Golding on September 19, 1911 inRead MoreThe Hangmans Horror: Roger, Sadism, and Psychopathy in Lord of the Flies1506 Words   |  7 Pagesdarkness in all men and first-hand experience with savagery and violence in World War II, William Golding used Lord of the Flies as not only a historical allegory and a pulpit from which to address the darkness in all men, but also as a metaphor and a example that no one is exempt from human nature. Golding’s characters in Lord of the Flies reflect this idea greatly, but none more so than Roger. Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the character of Roger to show the follies of mankind and theRead MoreLord of the Flies by William Golding1585 Words   |  7 Pages Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a fictional novel highlighting natural characteristics of man kind. The Book was created during the post World War II period. Before creating this novel, William had experience in the navy where he learned of the nature of mankind. The introduction of the book portrays a plane crash where a large group of boys are stranded on an island. Here they grow in character and human instincts such as leadership, brutality, and survival are displayedRead MoreLord of the Flies Comparative Essay (Film vs Book)1495 Words   |  6 PagesLord of the Flies comparative essay The novel, â€Å"Lord of the Flies† by William Golding was published in 1954. It’s the story of a group of boys stranded on an island with no adults. Since then, it has had two film adaptions. The first adaption was produced in 1963, directed by the Englishman Peter Brook. This version was filmed in black and white and follows the events of the book very closely. The second adaption came twenty-seven years later in 1990, which was directed by the American Harry Hook