First Impressions Journal

                                        

   First Impressions Journal About The Great Gatsby

Bushra Rizvi

                After seemingly reading the first twenty pages of this highly praised book by all teachers The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I can say right off the back that the author's words of description and way of enhancing the scenery and description of a person or place to make the image highly clear of the reader is tremendous. The way his words are written is what pulled me in from the start, for example when Tom brought Nick home and he described the place beautifully. "A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea." (Fitzgerald 19) This quote just goes into dept of a small fragment of a house yet it sounds like a palace. 

                 At first it was pretty confusing to understand the big words that Fitzgerald had used and I'd often find myself drifting away from the story when it would get even more wordy, but the way he used them as I said before is what kept me in tact with the story. The atmosphere of the book really reminded me of the movie we had watched in class A Beautiful Mind with John and these students all prepped in suits and ties in a 1920's university in London. Also Nick seems to talk about something important his father told him as if he were heading off to a new place after high school. "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone... just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages you had." (Fitzgerald 11) Just by those words I can tell the novel isn't a typical love story with the damsel in distress as both lovers come together through conflict throughout the whole journey in fighting against the world. This story seems to be the type about something deeper. a moral conveyed about social and moral problems people had to face in the 1920's with money and the desire to be with someone but alas they have schemes in their head to ploy with that person. The way Nick talks about the huge mansions especially Gatsby's at West Egg compared to his small apartment is clear there's pretty polar standards of different people living here. 

                   Daisy, from all the people in the book makes me think she's the enemy herself even though it's told that  she's somehow related to Nick and has a husband and son. I believe this because she has a rather awfully nice attitude to please others look as she greeted Nick this way with this fake but believable light in her eyes. Nick on the other hand, seems like a humble man not talking about how he's jealous of the big mansions but just exploring this new place and visiting his friend, Tom even though mainly no one likes him. It's pretty clear Nick is a nice man as the way he described Tom as a miniature hulk with rippling muscles and a justified scowled face that no one messes with, yet he's still friends with him.



             First Impression Journal: By Priyana Jeyanathan

     When I began to read this epic, intense, and unique book, it gave me a sense that the narrator, Nick Carraway went through an unforgettable, wild, and horrendous journey. "When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart"(Fitzgerald 5) shows how Nick went through a crazy journey with the other characters in the book, and the quotation also tells us that Nick doesn't want to experience a journey like that ever again. It also tells the reader that Nick went through something horrible and has regretted it."Reserving all judgments is a matter of infinite hope" (Fitzgerald 5) reveals that he was talking about Gatsby. It foreshadows that many people judge Gatsby and assuming the things that they heard about him was true. On the other hand, Nick doesn't listen to these judgments, which gives Nick an opportunity to know the real Gatsby. The author introduces Nick to be an interesting, positive, and unique character that will advance the plot to make the story even more interesting.


     These quotations inform the reader about who Nick is. As far as we know, Nick is a friendly, intelligent person who is new in a town called West Egg on Long Island in New York City, working as a Bond Salesman who lives right next door to a rich man named Gatsby. When Nick talks about Gatsby on page four, it gives the reader a good impression of Gatsby, saying that he represents everything and has a personality with an unbroken series of successful gestures. It gives the reader a sense of who Gatsby is; a rich, intelligent, successful man. Nick also described Tom in such a specific, descriptive way, giving me an image on how he would look and act like. Nick described him as arrogant, built, and was hated by many people in New Haven.This helped me understand the book even more, it has allowed me to use my imagination. The descriptions of the characters that the author uses catches the readers attention, making it more easier to understand what is happening in the book.


     Nick describes West Egg, he lives in a small house that is 80$ a month. Next to his house is a beautiful mansion with a tower on one side, and a marble swimming pool and more than 40 acres of lawn and garden. The setting of West Egg also sets an image in the readers mind on how it would look like. Overall, the book gave me a good impression. The introduction of the book was eye catching, giving the readers a good understanding of what is happening in the story. The author was incredibly descriptive, creative, and allowed the readers to fully understand who the characters are. The first 20 pages of the book was overall intense, interesting, and different from any other story line created.

              

               

First Impressions – Akunna Nwaogu

            The first twenty pages of The Great Gatsby provides the reader with insight into the lives of the main characters of the novel. The advanced vocabulary used throughout the beginning of the novel was challenging to understand, but doing some research on terms I did not understand helped with that issue. It took some time to adjust to the author’s writing style because it was something I was not familiar with though I have become accustomed to the style now. Truthfully, I did not enjoy the first few pages of the book due to confusion, but half through I could not stop reading and I actually exceeded the twentieth page. This post includes my first impression of characters, setting, subject matter, and tone, pertaining to The Great Gatsby.

            In the first chapter and part of the second chapter of this novel the reader is introduced to the narrator, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby. Nick appears to be a quiet, laid-back, and genuine type of character. He not judgemental of his wealthy acquaintances’ lifestyle and he is a fairly good listener. Since Nick seems like the ideal protagonist I feel that he will have major character development throughout the novel. Tom Buchanan, Nick’s friend from college, is an arrogant, cocky, and deceitful character. Even in the early chapters of the novel it is evident that Tom’s social beliefs are racist and sexist. Daisy Buchanan, Tom’s wife and Nick’s cousins, seems like a naive and bland character so far in the book. Jordan Baker is a friend of Daisy’s, who is cynical, dishonest, and disrespectful. Nick sees right through her, but he remains silent on the topic of her true traits. Jay Gatsby is still quite mysterious because Nick has yet to actual meet him and converse with him. All the characters in The Great Gatsby are unique and intriguing, which made me want to continue reading.

            The novel takes place in Long Island, New York, during the summer of 1922. I thought this was a very interesting setting because it was right after World War 1 and during the prohibition in North America. The wealthy characters are not yet aware of their doomed fate that is soon approaching in The Great Depression and the Dirty Thirties. The novel focuses on two main areas called: the East Egg and the West Egg, both are fairly rich places, but the West Egg, in which Nick and Gatsby live, is the less rich of the two. Though I have never seen Long Island of the 1920’s, I image it to be scattered with large white and brown mansions surrounded by beautiful beaches.

           

            The author sets a romantic, sensual, and ambivalent tone. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and Jay, all live the lavish lifestyle and are the wealthy of the Roaring Twenties. They have grand mansions, riches, popularity, and exclusiveness. Nick is not completely sure how he feels about his acquaintances’ lifestyle yet, but he is developing more understanding of how they live. The mood of the first twenty pages of the novel is mellow, calm, and contemplative. Nothing extremely significant has occurred so far in the novel, so it did not make me feel any different, though the writing style used was very captivating.