Preview

Quote Exercise: The Great Gatsby

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
250 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Quote Exercise: The Great Gatsby
Quote Exercise
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . And then one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (Pg. 180)

Nick is explaining how people struggle to reach their goals by striving so hard for what they believe in and then they let the past get in the way of that belief. When Nick says, “So we beat on, boats against the current” he is relating the boats to humans striving for what they believe in, and the current symbolizes the past reeling us back. Even though it is not mentioned we are all rowing towards the green light. The green light symbolizes our dreams that we strive for to become reality. We try and relive the past in the future like Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby tried so hard to relive their affair from 1917, but he then realizes that people drift apart and move on in life. He can’t escape the mind set of wanting to get back together with Daisy, and he struggles to do anything else but try and impress her. He never loses hope, “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…” he expresses all of his energy towards wanting to get back with Daisy, a goal that keeps running farther and farther away from his grasp.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Chapter 2-the Great Gatsby
    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Chapter 2-the Great Gatsby

    In chapter two of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses many methods of narrative. In this essay I will analyse three: Character, Setting and Voice each in detail.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” includes a passage littered with literary devices and imagery describing thematic and symbolic elements on a psychological and moral level. To begin, Fitzgerald’s usage of rhyme “but that’s no matter–to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther(Fitzgerald)” helps to illustrate the theme of hard work and always striving to achieve the “dream”, despite how the the future looks, “year by year reced[ing] us”. Also, the author uses alliteration “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly” to emphasize the symbol of a boat struggling against the current, similarly to gatsby retracing steps and trying to fix mistakes from the past. On the other hand, imagery of the “green light”…

    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Who Is Fitzgerald Present Nick's Death In The Great Gatsby
    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Who Is Fitzgerald Present Nick's Death In The Great Gatsby

    Gatsby's desire to win Daisy's love is his version of the old American dream: an incredible goal and a constant search for the opportunity to reach this goal. This is shown when Gatsby is first introduced into the novel. It is late at night and we find him "with his hands in his pockets… out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." While Nick continues to watch Gatsby's movements he says: "he [Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (21-22). The green light that Gatsby reaches out for symbolizes his longing; his longing for Daisy, for money, for acceptance and no matter how much he has, he never feels complete. This green light is part of the American Dream. It symbolizes our constant searching for a way to reach that goal just of in the distance, as Nick described it, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther… And one fine morning…" (182). Gatsby's goal gave him a purpose in life, which sets him apart from the rest of the upper…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis of Listener's Wooden Heart
    • 671 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis of Listener's Wooden Heart

    This spoken word piece is about the human condition, and our corrupt nature. The ship refers to him, and the ocean is a metaphor for life. His fears, lies and nightmares (standard red devils and white ghosts) binding him, but they’re also the only thing keeping him together while the ocean “tosses him like leaves in this weather.” His dreams are sails, and they point him to his hopes and dreams in life. He says he built his own heart out of wood, and placed it inside himself (the iron ship), as he sails through the struggles in life (blood red seas), and finds his place in life. He’s not letting the struggles in life (waves) destroy his hopes and dreams. He says he believes in both anchors and saviors a line apart, so I’m assuming they are synonymous. His life is falling apart, but he still believes in whatever anchor is in his life, while he’s “sinking”. When he says he is pulling the rotten wood out of his heart, he means he’s letting go of the emotional baggage in his heart, so he can pursue his dreams. “We are all made out of shipwrecks, every single bouard washed and bound like crooked teeth on these rocky shores” That line is saying that we are all the person we are today because of our mistakes, and we’re all barely making it through life by ourselves. At this point in the poem, he starts referring to a community making it through together, rather than sailing through life just by himself. The line “we only have what we remember”, that repeats several times throughout the poem, states that if we didn’t have what we remember, we would just repeat the mistakes that we made in our past. “I am the barely living son of a woman and man who barely made it.” this line is basically repeating the very first line of the poem: “We’re all born to broken people on their most honest day…

    • 671 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page

    What Does The Green Light Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

    Nick reminisces Gatsby and thinks, "[Gatsby] did not know that [his dream] was already behind him... Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastric future that year…

    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Does The Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Does The Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

    Gatsby’s green light was his hope in Daisy leaving Tom for him. The reason for his massive parties and exuberant clothing was to impress Daisy. Even before he left for the war, him and Daisy had loved each other. He wrote a letter to Daisy explaining his love for her before she left. On her wedding day, she became intoxicated while she was reading the letter he has written for her. She then was so drunk that she wanted to not marry Tom and wanted to go back to Gatsby. But her friends sobered her up and had Jordan put the letter in the water and watch it dissolve, to show that she will not go back to Gatsby; she will marry Tom. Since then he has been trying to win her back. It wasn’t until Tom found out about their affair; she came out to Toms saying that she was in love with Gatsby. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter--- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning---- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back carelessly into the past”. ( pg. 193) Gatsby believed that we have a million choices and a million chances. The older we get, the fewer chances we have to reach our goals. But no matter what, there is still hope that not even distance can come between you and what your dreams…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A commentary on the last three paragraphs of "The Great Gatsby."
    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A commentary on the last three paragraphs of "The Great Gatsby."

    In the first sentence of the passage, Fitzgerald uses the word "brooding" to show the mood of Nick, the narrator. Brooding gives an impression of deep, dark thinking. Next, he talks about the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, a symbol that pervades the writing throughout the work. It symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future. Fitzgerald uses the word "wonder" to show Gatsby's excitement for his future with Daisy. Fitzgerald also uses the word "obscurity" to describe the land west of New York. This gives the tone a careless tone because Nick doesn't explain what he really means. Nick also proceeds to call the Midwest "the dark fields of the republic." In the second paragraph, Fitzgerald mentions the green light again, calling it "the orgastic future." This description shows the expectations everyone has for future, but only a few people attain it. The diction of the second paragraph adds to the tone of the passage, showing the un-attainability of the American Dream. The last paragraph is only one sentence and is also the last sentence in the book. Fitzgerald uses this sentence to show that the "current" is flowing towards the East, and hence corruption. He uses the word "ceaselessly" to describe the movement of time into the past. Nick's physical movement west is also his movement into the past and traditional values.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Time In The Great Gatsby
    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Time In The Great Gatsby

    In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the main character, Jay Gatsby, attempts to recapture his past with his once “love of his life”: Daisy Buchanan. In this novel, the idea of time is described in multiple aspects. Time, one would say, is ever flowing like a wave: rising into form, proceeding to crashing into a white fizzing foam, not stopping for anything in its path. Like a wave, time has many stages like the past, present, and future. As people we are told to live in the moment and dwell in the present as we prepare for what lies ahead: our hopes and dreams in the future. However when one resides to live in the past, it puts up a barrier for the future, and that is what happens to Jay Gatsby. On all accounts in the story, Gatsby merely wastes the time in his life pursuing to live a dream, and it was the…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Chapter 4 Of The Great Gatsby Essay
    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Chapter 4 Of The Great Gatsby Essay

    The Jazz Age was depicted as an era of freedom, revolution, fantasy, and mostly, corruption. The inhabitants of America during the time were jubilant over the victories of World War I and very much enjoyed the wealth brought on by the spoils of war. Many were busy as they tried to build big businesses to monopolize the flow of money, and legalities did not matter as long as the people got what they wanted. The people sought to use the new-gained wealth to make their fantasy ideals to become a reality and the “American Dream” was the popular phrase used to describe their mindsets. Gatsby is longing to reunite with his love, and he spends a fortune to have it all setup and does not even stop at the face of her husband. To put the novel into a sum, the people of the Jazz Age flare up their monotonous life with corrupted love and the most unethical society and class hierarchy built on the flow of money.…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby Quote Analysis
    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Quote Analysis

    After Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy didn’t have much fun at his party Nick replies, “You can’t repeat the past,” which Gatsby confidently replies with, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” (110). This exchange is evidence that Gatsby is living in the past and is unable to see that his past has become a fantasy. At this point Gatsby has blown his past image of Daisy into something much larger and more magnificent than she is able to be in reality. Gatsby has twisted his idea of the past so much that he has gained extremely high expectations for his future. Nick’s comment is foreshadowing that Gatsby’s dream to be with Daisy will never be lived out. Along with this, Gatsby’s reply foreshadows his heartbreak and foolish feeling he suffers after realizing that Daisy has left him for…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby Last Passage Analysis
    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Last Passage Analysis

    In the same way, Nick’s disapproval of Gatsby’s manners and ethics are evident in the last passage of The Great Gatsby. “He did not know that it was already behind him…Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald 189). Depicted through many symbols, Fitzgerald does a beautiful job of portraying the themes of The Great Gatsby. Additionally, the symbols mentioned contribute to Nick’s attitude towards Gatsby. In the quote mentioned, Nick identifies the “green light” as a reference to Gatsby’s dream. In other words, we identify Fitzgerald’s incorporation of the American Dream through Nick’s attitude towards Gatsby. Nick emphasis The American dream in the passage while continuing to express his view of the decline of the American dream and Nick’s view of the past and the role it plays in Gatsby’s dreams of the future. He realizes that Gatsby believed that with enough money the rest of his dreams concerning, time and love could be his. The American dream originally based on discovery,…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby Quote Analysis
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Quote Analysis

    Mark Twain once said “History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” This quote means that people can never exactly recreate something and feel the way they did before but they can always achieve something similar.In the novel the Great Gatsby we come across this same idea of people trying to repeat the past but only get as close to rhyme of the past. In the novel we see Gatsby who is blinded by the past and was unable to live in the present.Gatsby was so focused on recreating his past with Daisy and reliving the "golden days". Gatsby pursed visions of his future that were determined by his past. He lived with…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Gatsby Quotations
    • 2447 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Quotations

    3) “Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name.…

    • 2447 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay
    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay

    Page one hundred eight, book chapter seven through nine states;”Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. Throughout the book the appearance of the green light keeps coming up. During all this time, Gatsby decides only to make a move on Daisy when he thinks the green light is there. He lets the universe decide whether or not he should move forward in his pursuit to win Daisy’s heart. Yet again, another wrong way to approach where you want to get. Don’t just let everything come and go. Face all the challenges that lie ahead. That is apart of becoming successful, trial and error. That’s apart of the American dream. As Fitzgerald told MAS-Ultra School Edition; “Americans urge to do something about one’s condition, to take risks for a better self, a better life, and a better nation.” (6) (Callahan) He also told them that;”The American experience: success and failure, illusion and disillusion, dreams and nightmares.” (7)…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Great Gatsby Essay
    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Great Gatsby Essay

    The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a society of high social standings, immense wealth, and love. This can be classified as the American Dream. If an individual is determined, that individual has a reasonable chance and holds the hope for acquiring wealth, and the happiness and freedoms that go with it. In essence, the American Dream gives the chance to gain personal fulfillment, materially and spiritually. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the American Dream as an unachievable illusion, one which is ultimately detrimental to the novel’s central character, Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby tries to attain happiness, Daisy’s love, which is all he wants, but ends up failing. Evidently, Gatsby may have achieved the definition of the American Dream, but at a personal standpoint, he failed to accomplish what he was truly aiming for.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics