Colors of the Gatsby Rainbow

What do you think of when you think of colors?  Does each color stand for something different?  Do those meanings change based on the context the color is used in?  So far, the colors in The Great Gatsby have really fascinated me.  Although there has been a plethora of colors used in the first 3 chapters, the most prominent colors up to this point have been blue, green, and white.  According to http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.htm, the color blue represents depth, stability, trust loyalty, wisdom, confidence, trust, faith, and heaven.  The color blue was used in The Great Gatsbv to describe his blue gardens and to describe TJ Eckleburg's eyes.  I think that TJ Ecklburg's eyes stand for trust and tho show that Gatsby trusts TJ.  However, I am not quite sure what the blue garden stands for. The next color, green stands for growth, harmony, and freshness. Green is used in the book in the very first chapter when it talks about Gatsby reaching out for the green light.  In this case, I think that the green stands for growth, but the growth that he is still longing for.   Lastly, the color white is also used very often throughout the first 3 chapters.  White stands for light, goodness, purity, cleanliness, and faith.  Fitzgerald uses the color white in the novel to represent Daisy.  When they first introduce Daisy, she is wearing a white dress.  In this case I feel that Daisy is innocent and does represent purity, the example given about her dress.  As we continue to read, I am curious if any of the meanings of these colors will change and if they will change to make someone seem worse than they started.     

Dreaming of America

This week in class we talked about the American Dream.  I thought that this image portrayed the image very well.  It shows how it is risky and dangerous path leading up to the American Dream.  But, if you are willing to take that risk, anyone can make it across.  I really liked this picture because if you look at the guy on the end, the area is no longer cracked or broken, symbolizing that he made it.  However, I don't like the fact that it is showing that everyone made it.  On the other hand, though, they can't really show someone failing without portraying it wrong.  I also agreed with the variety of people trying to achieve the dream.  There are both men and women, young and old, and even a family of 3 with a son.  This really stood out to me because when I think of the American dream, like many others, I think of a family of 4, a mom, a dad, a daughter, and a son.  In addition, none of the families or people look particularly wealthy going into this journey.   Do you think money is an important factor when entering the process leading to the American dream?  I believe that anyone can achieve the dream if they are willing to put in the work, but money does help.  Those who start off with a reasonable amount of money will have a better chance to achieve the dream because they won't have to work as hard.  If there is anything that I missed when looking at this picture, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!!! 












https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjBpf2u1O7PAhUJPj4KHQNfCgkQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.economist.com%2Fnews%2Funited-states%2F21586581-economist-asks-provocative-questions-about-future-social-mobility-american&psig=AFQjCNEhpEd8bJ2Kc2vsTIwKqANGwn8SOw&ust=1477234111220879

Expanding on Liberty

Question to think about before reading this blog: Do you agree or disagree with the quote above???






So, this week in class, we expanded on our learning of the topic of liberty.  Last week, I talked about the meaning of liberty.  I wanted to kind of continue on that subject but try to think of it in a different way, and try to see the bigger picture of how liberty connects to the current world and the elements inside of it.  Do freedom and peace connect to liberty?  When I read this quote, my initial thought was that Eisenhower was suggesting that peace is the best element about having liberty and freedom.  But, when I thought about, I then realized that it was saying that peace is a degree of freedom.  On one hand, you need to have a peace before you can introduce freedom.  But, does freedom give peace?  The answer is undefined, as it is everyone's opinion, but peace is, rather, one step leading to freedom.   There have been many cases where people have used their freedom but corrupted the peace, for example Martin Luther King Jr. When he gave his I Have a Dream Speech, it was said to be a turning point for the African American premises.  He used his liberty and freedom to stand up for what he believed in, but while doing this, he also disturbed the peace and caused many riots and protests, and even eventually lead to his assassination.  Does peace correlate with liberty? Peace is one step leading to freedom in this example because it took a while for the peace to return, but once it did, Martin Luther's dream was fulfilled and African Americans were granted their freedom.






Now go back and reread the quote.  Does my opinion and thoughts change what you thought initially about the quote???  Please leave your answer in the comments.

America, the best is yet to come.

October 7th, 2016
This week in class we talked about the topic of liberty, specifically the definition of liberty.  Each person views liberty differently, for example, Thomas Jefferson was seeking for liberty for Americans, whereas Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for liberty for women, and Frederick Douglass pushed for liberty for African Americans.  This helps to show the progression of the idea of liberty from 1776 to 1852.  Will America ever be satisfied with their rights?  Within the last month, Colin Kaepernick justified his right to liberty with his silent protest, the National Anthem Protest. 

As seen from Frederick Douglass, Kaepernick was displeased with the way the African American supremacist was beginning to become a larger target for police violence. In addition, Elizabeth Cady Stanton uses almost identical formatting for her piece, the Declaration of Sentiments, as the Thomas Jefferson did in the Declaration of Independence.  She did this because the Declaration of Independence was very successful and she wished for the same.  But, this also exaggerates the fact that the issue of liberty was never properly taken care of. This recurrence of these dissatisfaction's helps to prove that issues that were occurring in the 1700's and 1800's are still a problem now.  Is this still driving people to America as it used to?  America was and is still known as 'the land of opportunity' and a place for people to come and pursue their dreams.  The statue of liberty represents this, standing 151 feet tall on Liberty Island in New York welcoming all people entering America with hopes of succeeding.  Will liberty always be faced with the challenges of liberty?  If not, how will we change our country?

*http://insider.foxnews.com/sites/insider.foxnews.com/files/styles/780/public/082716_jim.jpg?itok=Hy8Qt-qp



*https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fd%2Fd3%2FStatue_of_Liberty%2C_NY.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AStatue_of_Liberty%2C_NY.jpg&docid=yo7k82eEZ4wvdM&tbnid=A9SCbvqVP9hF9M%3A&w=3558&h=2668&safe=strict&bih=659&biw=1024&ved=0ahUKEwjS79L77snPAhUr4IMKHQTmB7MQMwhxKA4wDg&iact=mrc&uact=8