Dreams are the vapor of our hopes and aspirations. “What do you dream?” we ask one another when we are very young? It is so important that poets, dreamers, musicians of every culture and subculture give voice to our dreams, for without dreams and hopes a culture will die.
Here is one of Black America’s famous Dream Keepers: Langston Hughes takes a place as one of the foremost black American writers. Born in 1902 and died in 1967, he was of mixed race: his grandmothers were black and his grandfathers were white. Not uncommon in early America. Hughes wrote of Harlem, of being black, of jazz, and all the life that seethed in that black section of New York City which he loved. Hughes was definitely one of the American negros’ Dream Keepers.
“The Dream Keeper
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers.
Bring me all of your dreams
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.”
Here is a poem in which he uses common slang terms. Earlier we discussed black English, or “Jive Talk.” (I put a few definitions in for the reader.)
“Motto
I play it cool (unruffled, calm, with a certain modern flair)
And dig all jive (understand all popular things)
That's the reason
I stay alive.
My motto,
As I live and learn,
is:
Dig and Be Dug (Understand and like others and be understood and liked by them in return.)
In Return.”
Here is one of his most famous poems:
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers, by Langston Hughes
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than
The flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I’ve bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young,
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincon
Went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
Bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
I hope you learn to love Hughes work as I do.
Sue
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Toefl Reading
Reading Passage
Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists. They are unique animals, considered both comical and exotic. They are found only in Australia, New Zealand and a few surrounding islands.
There are more than fifty species of kangaroos in existence today. The best known and largest species is the red and gray kangaroos, which can stand up to six feet and can weigh nearly 200 pounds. But there are kangaroo breeds that are much smaller, such as the musky rat kangaroo, which is only one foot tall. Kangaroos are very adaptable and can live in almost any climate. They can be found in mountainous regions, deserts, grasslands, even remote islands off the coast of southwestern Australia.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
Like all marsupials, kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch. The mother kangaroo may nurse her young, called a joey, for up to a year. Because the joeys stay in a pouch for so long, kangaroos almost never have more than one baby at a time. They typically raise one litter per year, though environmental conditions sometimes make this impossible. If they survive childhood, kangaroos can live as long as eighteen years in the wild, even longer in captivity.
Except for the smallest species like the musky rat kangaroo, which eats insects and small animals, kangaroos are herbivores, subsisting upon grass and other forest vegetation. Like many other grazing animals, kangaroos have developed multi-chambered stomachs to aid in the breakdown of otherwise indigestible plant material.
Questions
1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about kangaroos?
kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch
kangaroos have multi-chambered stomachs
kangaroos use their tails for balance
kangaroos can weigh nearly 300 pounds
2. When do kangaroos switch from walking on four legs to walking on two legs?
when they are frightened
when they need to move fast
when their front limbs are holding something
when their front limbs are tired
3. The follow sentence can be added to the first paragraph. Where would it best fit in the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.
Passage
1 Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists. 2 They are unique animals, considered both comical and exotic. 3 They are found only in Australia, New Zealand and a few surrounding islands.
Insert this sentence
Perhaps because of their existence in such remote locations, kangaroos are regarded with fascination by schoolchildren all the world over.
4. Look at the word species in paragraph 2. Click on the word that is closest in meaning to species.
There are more than fifty species of kangaroos in existence today. The best known and largest species is the red and gray kangaroos, which can stand up to six feet and can weigh nearly 200 pounds. But there are kangaroo breeds that are much smaller, such as the musky rat kangaroo, which is only one foot tall. Kangaroos are very adaptable and can live in almost any climate. They can be found in mountainous regions, deserts, grasslands, even remote islands off the coast of southwestern Australia.
5. Look at the first sentence of the passage. What does the pronoun they refer to?
Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists.
settlers
kangaroos
biologists
natives
6. Look at the word nimble in paragraph 3. Click on the word that is closest in meaning to nimble.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
7. Look at the word them in paragraph 3. Click on the word that them is referring to.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
8. Look at the word their in paragraph 4. Click on the word that their refers to.
Like all marsupials, kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch. The mother kangaroo may nurse her young, called a joey, for up to a year. Because the joeys stay in a pouch for so long, kangaroos almost never have more than one baby at a time. They typically raise one litter per year, though environmental conditions sometimes make this impossible. If they survive childhood, kangaroos can live as long as eighteen years in the wild, even longer in captivity.
To see the answers click here: http://www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/TOEFL/Reading/tests/02_kangaroos_answers.htm
Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists. They are unique animals, considered both comical and exotic. They are found only in Australia, New Zealand and a few surrounding islands.
There are more than fifty species of kangaroos in existence today. The best known and largest species is the red and gray kangaroos, which can stand up to six feet and can weigh nearly 200 pounds. But there are kangaroo breeds that are much smaller, such as the musky rat kangaroo, which is only one foot tall. Kangaroos are very adaptable and can live in almost any climate. They can be found in mountainous regions, deserts, grasslands, even remote islands off the coast of southwestern Australia.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
Like all marsupials, kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch. The mother kangaroo may nurse her young, called a joey, for up to a year. Because the joeys stay in a pouch for so long, kangaroos almost never have more than one baby at a time. They typically raise one litter per year, though environmental conditions sometimes make this impossible. If they survive childhood, kangaroos can live as long as eighteen years in the wild, even longer in captivity.
Except for the smallest species like the musky rat kangaroo, which eats insects and small animals, kangaroos are herbivores, subsisting upon grass and other forest vegetation. Like many other grazing animals, kangaroos have developed multi-chambered stomachs to aid in the breakdown of otherwise indigestible plant material.
Questions
1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about kangaroos?
kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch
kangaroos have multi-chambered stomachs
kangaroos use their tails for balance
kangaroos can weigh nearly 300 pounds
2. When do kangaroos switch from walking on four legs to walking on two legs?
when they are frightened
when they need to move fast
when their front limbs are holding something
when their front limbs are tired
3. The follow sentence can be added to the first paragraph. Where would it best fit in the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.
Passage
1 Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists. 2 They are unique animals, considered both comical and exotic. 3 They are found only in Australia, New Zealand and a few surrounding islands.
Insert this sentence
Perhaps because of their existence in such remote locations, kangaroos are regarded with fascination by schoolchildren all the world over.
4. Look at the word species in paragraph 2. Click on the word that is closest in meaning to species.
There are more than fifty species of kangaroos in existence today. The best known and largest species is the red and gray kangaroos, which can stand up to six feet and can weigh nearly 200 pounds. But there are kangaroo breeds that are much smaller, such as the musky rat kangaroo, which is only one foot tall. Kangaroos are very adaptable and can live in almost any climate. They can be found in mountainous regions, deserts, grasslands, even remote islands off the coast of southwestern Australia.
5. Look at the first sentence of the passage. What does the pronoun they refer to?
Ever since they were discovered by early settlers, kangaroos have fascinated biologists.
settlers
kangaroos
biologists
natives
6. Look at the word nimble in paragraph 3. Click on the word that is closest in meaning to nimble.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
7. Look at the word them in paragraph 3. Click on the word that them is referring to.
Kangaroos are very well suited to their environment. They have adapted over millions of years to fit into their ecological niche. They have large ears, and relatively small heads. Their front limbs are very small, but their paws are very nimble. Their hind legs are very large and powerful. When they are moving slowly, kangaroos walk on all four limbs, with the front limbs barely touching the ground. But when they feel the need to move quickly, they stand nearly upright, and start hopping on their hind legs. When they begin to hop, kangaroos use their muscular, agile tails to balance themselves, and to help them change direction.
8. Look at the word their in paragraph 4. Click on the word that their refers to.
Like all marsupials, kangaroos carry their offspring in a pouch. The mother kangaroo may nurse her young, called a joey, for up to a year. Because the joeys stay in a pouch for so long, kangaroos almost never have more than one baby at a time. They typically raise one litter per year, though environmental conditions sometimes make this impossible. If they survive childhood, kangaroos can live as long as eighteen years in the wild, even longer in captivity.
To see the answers click here: http://www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/TOEFL/Reading/tests/02_kangaroos_answers.htm
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The Greater Miracle
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each others eyes for an instant?” - Henry David Thoreau
It’s a difficult moment, that time when you realize that you completely misread another’s words or actions. We’re taken aback, uncertain of our next move and somehow unwilling to admit to the world that our senses betrayed us.
Oh, to be able to cross that gap that separates man from man and woman from woman. Oh, to know what you are thinking and what you expect of me. Oh, to be able to have walked down your streets, lived with your clans, and drank and supped and felt as you have felt. Oh, to have done those things. What a wondrous gift that would be, and what a mystery that consciousness, that gift of human kind, is so boxed in and confounded. Is it some kind of test that God instilled in our being, or is it something we must work to correct? Can we in any way train ourselves to be able to see through another's eyes?
The only solution to our self-only knowledge is to go to those lands we have never mentally considered before. We can read Thoreau, or the Bible, or Joseph Campbell or Rumi, or the Sufi Prophets and gain new dimension to our thoughts. We can flesh out one idea with another and another and another – a fountain of different thoughts flowing out from a central theme. We will never understand all that the Other believes and carries in that wondrous mind of theirs, but we can begin to see the breadth of all thought, and through the process, our ethical, moral, and social senses will expand and grow.
“It is when we try to grapple with another man’s intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensive, wavering, and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun.” - Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sound unity
There is not a single Iranian who is not familiar with the beautiful musical instrument called The Nei or more poetically Nai. To some degree, every Iranin loves the soft, soothing sound that this mystical intrument produces. In its close, intimate relation to a vast majority of common people, I believe that the Nei is for an Iranian what a harmonica is for an American. I still remember how lovingly John Steinbeck praised the Harmonica in his novel 'The Grapes of Wrath.'
Aside from the ease of carrying this instrument around and its soothing sound, Rumi has had a fundamental role in its fame and popularity. He has started the first line of the greatest masterpiece in mystical literature, Masnavi, with the sound of Nei: Listen to the Nei as it explains / Stories of seperation and pains.
Today I was thinking that although this is the pain of separations that brings Nei to sing, the soothing sound itself brings our hearts together in a common joy. Through Rumi and the joy we all experience in his poetry and music we all reach a mystical unity with each other. This is true of all the great artists and their works.
Ali
Aside from the ease of carrying this instrument around and its soothing sound, Rumi has had a fundamental role in its fame and popularity. He has started the first line of the greatest masterpiece in mystical literature, Masnavi, with the sound of Nei: Listen to the Nei as it explains / Stories of seperation and pains.
Today I was thinking that although this is the pain of separations that brings Nei to sing, the soothing sound itself brings our hearts together in a common joy. Through Rumi and the joy we all experience in his poetry and music we all reach a mystical unity with each other. This is true of all the great artists and their works.
Ali
A Lot of, Lots of, a Lot
The above phrases sound almost alike, don't they? However there are some differences in how to use them. Think NOUNs (name words.) One would say "I need a lot of apples." or one could say "I need lots of apples." Lots of, and a lot of describe nouns. However if you use it with a VERB (generally an action word) one would say, "He ran a lot." You would not say he ran lots of, or he ran a lot of.
Remember, these phrases are mainly used in informal English . "Lots of" is probably the most informal of the three expressions. As a writer, I might use a lot, or a lot of, but I would seldom use lots of, particularly in an academic paper. It is better English to use "many" or "a great deal" in my opinion, but in some cases "a lot of" flows better and sounds less formal. To say I need a great deal of bread may seem too grand. I need a lot of bread rolls more easily off the tongue. In English it all depends to whom one is speaking. Sometimes we are more formal than others. Sue…
Remember, these phrases are mainly used in informal English . "Lots of" is probably the most informal of the three expressions. As a writer, I might use a lot, or a lot of, but I would seldom use lots of, particularly in an academic paper. It is better English to use "many" or "a great deal" in my opinion, but in some cases "a lot of" flows better and sounds less formal. To say I need a great deal of bread may seem too grand. I need a lot of bread rolls more easily off the tongue. In English it all depends to whom one is speaking. Sometimes we are more formal than others. Sue…
Business letters: Making adjustments
Replying Positively to Requests for Adjustment
Guidelines and Alternate Phrases:
Focus on the positive resolution of the problem.
Disarm the reader by admitting a cause for complaint, rather than glossing over the problem.
Explain briefly and positively how the mistake occurred:
Although we take great pride in our thorough methods for safe packing, someone apparently let this package slip by without the usual precaution.
Computers and people do make mistakes–both goofed this time.
I simply did not relay all the details to that department. Please accept my apology for that oversight.
Sound eager, not begrudging, to make the adjustment and regain the customer's goodwill.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
You are right about our error. We are happy to...
We are very embarrassed. You must think we have to work really hard to mess up things so badly! We are doubly chagrined because you are a special customer, and we highly value your business. Please bear with us; we will get the order right this time and will do our best to improve our service to you.
When any company serves as many customers as we do, there will inevitably be errors from time to time. Nevertheless, even one is distressing, particularly when that customer is as good as you have been.
Thank you for pointing out the error before it caused us even more problems.
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to correct the situation to your satisfaction.
Make an adjustment appropriate to the error. That is, don't apologize profusely for a minor problem. Such effusiveness sounds insincere. Likewise, don't gloss over serious errors; show appropriate concern and make amends.
Mention any safeguards you've taken to prevent a recurrence of the problem.
Reestablish rapport with the customer. Assume all is well again.
Sample Letter 1:
Dear Ms. Smith:
We are pleased to tell you that we have rescinded our proposed changes to the mileage requirements for travel awards valid for use to and from Singapore. We have listened to our customers and are not too big to admit we have made a mistake. As a result, we can still offer the four first-class tickets you wanted to claim for your frequent-flyer mileage.
At the time you were denied those tickets, we had just recently made the decision to change our policy and had not received any feedback from customers. Consequently, we are happy you wrote again and gave us an opportunity to provide the extra tickets due you under the old terms.
I know the delay in getting your tickets must have created some anxiety on your part about your planned family vacation, and we are sorry for the misunderstanding.
Please do have a nice, enjoyable vacation with these tickets. Thank you for choosing our airline for all your travel needs.
Cordially,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 2:
Dear Ms. White:
We are pleased to inform you that the proper credits have been made to your corporate telephone account. Due to a clerical error, you were billed for services rendered to a similar number. Your next bill will reflect a credit of $412.50.
We regret the inconvenience and thank you for promptly bringing the matter to our attention. If you have any additional billing questions, please call our accounts receivable office at (800) 555-5555.
Sincerely,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 3:
Dear Dr. Jones:
Thank you for telling us about the inferior service you received from our employee, Jeanie Wilson. We regret she does not meet the high standards of Kleaning Wizards, Inc.
You are a valued customer. As such, we are going to credit your account next month for $212.00 which equals eight hours cleaning.
Please call our customer service department if you have any other problems. Thank you for your continued patronage.
Sincerely,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 4:
Dear Mrs. Johnson:
We appreciate the letter concerning your February account. The confusion is due to the recent changes in our rates and billing policy.
Our new policy became effective last January; however, due to an error on our part, you did not receive notice of these changes. We apologize for this error and are enclosing a pamphlet explaining the new policy. These changes affect delivery services to rural areas, for packages under one pound, and monthly rates for daily pick-ups.
Since we failed to let you know about these changes, we will adjust your bill to reflect our original policy. The new rates will become effective for your company beginning next month.
Sincerely,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 5:
Dear Mr. Brock:
Thank you for sending us the list of discounted books offered by our competitor, TNT Book Distributors. As we have promised our customers, we will not be undersold; therefore, a refund check for $54. 87 from your last purchase is enclosed.
Thank you for allowing us to continue to give our customers quality books at discount prices.
Sincerely,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 6:
Dear Ms. Murphy:
Thank you for your recent purchase of Deluxe office chairs. We regret you had to return two of the chairs.
There is a defect in the adjustment rods of the model you purchased. As a result, all chairs with this feature are being recalled.
Two new chairs are being shipped to you, and a twenty-five dollar store certificate towards your next purchase is also on its way to you. We appreciate your letting us know about the problem.
Sincerely,
------------------------------------
Sample Letter 7:
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Wendel:
As you have requested, Golden Star Insurance will cancel your policy, effective March 3, 1997. We regret we can no longer serve you and your family.
The coverage premium has been pro-rated for this billing period. You will receive a refund of $142. 76.
We have enjoyed doing business with you. Please let us know if we can assist you in the future.
Sincerely,
Friday, May 28, 2010
Dear Sue
Dear Sue,
I am so sorry because I haven’t written until now. I am in exams. I had 1 exam (NDT none … test) in 2 last Tuesday and I had 3 exams last week so I am very busy in these weeks. I promise to write letters. It’s time we had many letters.
I enjoyed your post about Black English when we read it in our class.
In all of world people have many dialects. I feel the difference dialects when I see a film in which there are blacks. Blacks speak very fast and usually I cannot understand what they say but, I saw a news reader that was a black woman. She spoke very very well and I could understand some of what she read.
Faranak's writing
Dear Sue,
Thank you very much for good story about computer and I agree with you, world can't be divided to 0 and 1 because nothings aren't absolute and it's good.
We read your writing in our class a lot. They are very useful and we learn a lot of things from them.
This week we read your article about different dialects. It was very interesting and thank you for your good writings.
We have different dialects in Iran,too. My mother is originally from Semnan(A city in the East of Iran), I think Semnanis people have a very difficult dialect. I hear it a lot but, I can't understand it and my mother just understands, She can't speak.
We started a new book to read. It's name is Interchange. I want to know your idea about it.
Thanks, take care, Faranak.
Thank you very much for good story about computer and I agree with you, world can't be divided to 0 and 1 because nothings aren't absolute and it's good.
We read your writing in our class a lot. They are very useful and we learn a lot of things from them.
This week we read your article about different dialects. It was very interesting and thank you for your good writings.
We have different dialects in Iran,too. My mother is originally from Semnan(A city in the East of Iran), I think Semnanis people have a very difficult dialect. I hear it a lot but, I can't understand it and my mother just understands, She can't speak.
We started a new book to read. It's name is Interchange. I want to know your idea about it.
Thanks, take care, Faranak.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Great Gatsby
Sue mentioned a number of books in her beautiful post Genuine Piece. Here's a summary of the Great Gatsby:
Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business. He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich, a group who have made their fortunes too recently to have established social connections and who are prone to garish displays of wealth. Nick’s next-door neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a gigantic Gothic mansion and throws extravagant parties every Saturday night.
Nick is unlike the other inhabitants of West Egg—he was educated at Yale and has social connections in East Egg, a fashionable area of Long Island home to the established upper class. Nick drives out to East Egg one evening for dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom, an erstwhile classmate of Nick’s at Yale. Daisy and Tom introduce Nick to Jordan Baker, a beautiful, cynical young woman with whom Nick begins a romantic relationship. Nick also learns a bit about Daisy and Tom’s marriage: Jordan tells him that Tom has a lover, Myrtle Wilson, who lives in the valley of ashes, a gray industrial dumping ground between West Egg and New York City. Not long after this revelation, Nick travels to New York City with Tom and Myrtle. At a vulgar, gaudy party in the apartment that Tom keeps for the affair, Myrtle begins to taunt Tom about Daisy, and Tom responds by breaking her nose.
As the summer progresses, Nick eventually garners an invitation to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties. He encounters Jordan Baker at the party, and they meet Gatsby himself, a surprisingly young man who affects an English accent, has a remarkable smile, and calls everyone “old sport.” Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone, and, through Jordan, Nick later learns more about his mysterious neighbor. Gatsby tells Jordan that he knew Daisy in Louisville in 1917 and is deeply in love with her. He spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of her dock, across the bay from his mansion. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy. Gatsby now wants Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy, but he is afraid that Daisy will refuse to see him if she knows that he still loves her. Nick invites Daisy to have tea at his house, without telling her that Gatsby will also be there. After an initially awkward reunion, Gatsby and Daisy reestablish their connection. Their love rekindled, they begin an affair.
After a short time, Tom grows increasingly suspicious of his wife’s relationship with Gatsby. At a luncheon at the Buchanans’ house, Gatsby stares at Daisy with such undisguised passion that Tom realizes Gatsby is in love with her. Though Tom is himself involved in an extramarital affair, he is deeply outraged by the thought that his wife could be unfaithful to him. He forces the group to drive into New York City, where he confronts Gatsby in a suite at the Plaza Hotel. Tom asserts that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could never understand, and he announces to his wife that Gatsby is a criminal—his fortune comes from bootlegging alcohol and other illegal activities. Daisy realizes that her allegiance is to Tom, and Tom contemptuously sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him.
When Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive through the valley of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby’s car has struck and killed Myrtle, Tom’s lover. They rush back to Long Island, where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle, but that Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next day, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver of the car. George, who has leapt to the conclusion that the driver of the car that killed Myrtle must have been her lover, finds Gatsby in the pool at his mansion and shoots him dead. He then fatally shoots himself.
Nick stages a small funeral for Gatsby, ends his relationship with Jordan, and moves back to the Midwest to escape the disgust he feels for the people surrounding Gatsby’s life and for the emptiness and moral decay of life among the wealthy on the East Coast. Nick reflects that just as Gatsby’s dream of Daisy was corrupted by money and dishonesty, the American dream of happiness and individualism has disintegrated into the mere pursuit of wealth. Though Gatsby’s power to transform his dreams into reality is what makes him “great,” Nick reflects that the era of dreaming—both Gatsby’s dream and the American dream—is over.
Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business. He rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island, a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich, a group who have made their fortunes too recently to have established social connections and who are prone to garish displays of wealth. Nick’s next-door neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who lives in a gigantic Gothic mansion and throws extravagant parties every Saturday night.
Nick is unlike the other inhabitants of West Egg—he was educated at Yale and has social connections in East Egg, a fashionable area of Long Island home to the established upper class. Nick drives out to East Egg one evening for dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband, Tom, an erstwhile classmate of Nick’s at Yale. Daisy and Tom introduce Nick to Jordan Baker, a beautiful, cynical young woman with whom Nick begins a romantic relationship. Nick also learns a bit about Daisy and Tom’s marriage: Jordan tells him that Tom has a lover, Myrtle Wilson, who lives in the valley of ashes, a gray industrial dumping ground between West Egg and New York City. Not long after this revelation, Nick travels to New York City with Tom and Myrtle. At a vulgar, gaudy party in the apartment that Tom keeps for the affair, Myrtle begins to taunt Tom about Daisy, and Tom responds by breaking her nose.
As the summer progresses, Nick eventually garners an invitation to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties. He encounters Jordan Baker at the party, and they meet Gatsby himself, a surprisingly young man who affects an English accent, has a remarkable smile, and calls everyone “old sport.” Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone, and, through Jordan, Nick later learns more about his mysterious neighbor. Gatsby tells Jordan that he knew Daisy in Louisville in 1917 and is deeply in love with her. He spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of her dock, across the bay from his mansion. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are simply an attempt to impress Daisy. Gatsby now wants Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy, but he is afraid that Daisy will refuse to see him if she knows that he still loves her. Nick invites Daisy to have tea at his house, without telling her that Gatsby will also be there. After an initially awkward reunion, Gatsby and Daisy reestablish their connection. Their love rekindled, they begin an affair.
After a short time, Tom grows increasingly suspicious of his wife’s relationship with Gatsby. At a luncheon at the Buchanans’ house, Gatsby stares at Daisy with such undisguised passion that Tom realizes Gatsby is in love with her. Though Tom is himself involved in an extramarital affair, he is deeply outraged by the thought that his wife could be unfaithful to him. He forces the group to drive into New York City, where he confronts Gatsby in a suite at the Plaza Hotel. Tom asserts that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could never understand, and he announces to his wife that Gatsby is a criminal—his fortune comes from bootlegging alcohol and other illegal activities. Daisy realizes that her allegiance is to Tom, and Tom contemptuously sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him.
When Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive through the valley of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby’s car has struck and killed Myrtle, Tom’s lover. They rush back to Long Island, where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle, but that Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next day, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver of the car. George, who has leapt to the conclusion that the driver of the car that killed Myrtle must have been her lover, finds Gatsby in the pool at his mansion and shoots him dead. He then fatally shoots himself.
Nick stages a small funeral for Gatsby, ends his relationship with Jordan, and moves back to the Midwest to escape the disgust he feels for the people surrounding Gatsby’s life and for the emptiness and moral decay of life among the wealthy on the East Coast. Nick reflects that just as Gatsby’s dream of Daisy was corrupted by money and dishonesty, the American dream of happiness and individualism has disintegrated into the mere pursuit of wealth. Though Gatsby’s power to transform his dreams into reality is what makes him “great,” Nick reflects that the era of dreaming—both Gatsby’s dream and the American dream—is over.
A Genuine Piece
"The hand-writing of your letter is so miserable, that I am not sure I have made it out. If I have it seems to me you are the same old sixpence you used to be, rather rusty,but a genuine piece."
Snip from a letter Ellery wrote Henry Thoreau, March 5, 1845.
Past, present or future, would you wish to be other than “A genuine piece?” Could we have a higher wish for the world than to wish for a world full of souls who are what they appear to be? The American Soul, if it is left to its honest ability to be valid, is the soul of a simple, hard scrabble, realistic sort who is mistrustful of smooth talk, flowery speeches and fantasy tales. This, of course, is an ideal.
America’s youthful literature prior to The Wizard of Oz, showed little inclination to dwell on the fantastic. Our history displays a pretty hard scrabble people. England is the land of Arthur, Nadia and Lord of the Rings. America is Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, the Bobbsey Twins and, most revealing of all, the Horatio Alger stories of a poor boy who makes good.
Main Street, The Old Man and the Sea, and the Great Gatsby are fantastic only in their desire to find men better than we might think they are and are coupled with the dream that if one does one's duty and lives a clean life, nothing is impossible. All are written as a desire to show men at their peak moments, which might end as a success or failure, but rather what counts is the effort put into the achievement.
Man, as in Ahab and his Whale (Moby Dick), is not always perfect in American literature, but he is dedicated, he is focused and he is a realist. He knows that going after the whale may kill him, and the task itself might make no sense to others, but sail he does, search he does and go to his final task ready and willing – he does.
Yes, we are a gristly sort, even though in past years we have somewhat covered our crusty attitudes with a veneer of continental charm. But let us admit, that when the fleet comes in, it’s all for one and one for all – with the understanding that it is important in that "all", a goodly number must remain "rusty, but genuine pieces." The only question is, can America remain 'rusty, but genuine' in a contemporary world steeped in nuance, deception and self-interest? Or, another question: Is there any other way for us to approach a modern world?
Snip from a letter Ellery wrote Henry Thoreau, March 5, 1845.
Past, present or future, would you wish to be other than “A genuine piece?” Could we have a higher wish for the world than to wish for a world full of souls who are what they appear to be? The American Soul, if it is left to its honest ability to be valid, is the soul of a simple, hard scrabble, realistic sort who is mistrustful of smooth talk, flowery speeches and fantasy tales. This, of course, is an ideal.
America’s youthful literature prior to The Wizard of Oz, showed little inclination to dwell on the fantastic. Our history displays a pretty hard scrabble people. England is the land of Arthur, Nadia and Lord of the Rings. America is Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, the Bobbsey Twins and, most revealing of all, the Horatio Alger stories of a poor boy who makes good.
Main Street, The Old Man and the Sea, and the Great Gatsby are fantastic only in their desire to find men better than we might think they are and are coupled with the dream that if one does one's duty and lives a clean life, nothing is impossible. All are written as a desire to show men at their peak moments, which might end as a success or failure, but rather what counts is the effort put into the achievement.
Man, as in Ahab and his Whale (Moby Dick), is not always perfect in American literature, but he is dedicated, he is focused and he is a realist. He knows that going after the whale may kill him, and the task itself might make no sense to others, but sail he does, search he does and go to his final task ready and willing – he does.
Yes, we are a gristly sort, even though in past years we have somewhat covered our crusty attitudes with a veneer of continental charm. But let us admit, that when the fleet comes in, it’s all for one and one for all – with the understanding that it is important in that "all", a goodly number must remain "rusty, but genuine pieces." The only question is, can America remain 'rusty, but genuine' in a contemporary world steeped in nuance, deception and self-interest? Or, another question: Is there any other way for us to approach a modern world?
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