Cardinal Directions that Have Morals

When Nick talks about the West in The Great Gatsby, he paints a picture of a land where everyone is cordial to each other and they do not possess shallow desires like those in the East. They are more traditional and inviting compared to the fast-paced, inventive ways of its opponent. Nick describes someone saying, “Are you going to the Ordways’? The Herseys’? The Schultzes’?” This represents the familiarity between the citizens. Their Eastern counterparts are much more focused with their place I society rather than that of others and these morals do not match those of Daisy, Tom, Nick, Jordan and Gatsby, which displaces them from their surroundings.
Nick had been excited about the West, but admits that it had a “quality of distortion.” He imagines West Egg as a picture and how several men in suits discard a drunken woman at a random house, unsure of her name and if it was really the place she lived in. Nick shows that he is uncomfortable with this scenario because of the stark differences between the caring West and the self-centered East.

Girl, What’s Your Sign?

I’m wholeheartedly infatuated with personalities quirks, psychology, and anything that explains a person’s behavior. It almost seems like I have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder with the vigor I adopt to approach these topics.
My friends are probably beginning to hate me at this point because of the amount of time I spend talking about Zodiac signs. As soon as one of them brings up a quarrel with a sibling or a guy they are interested in, my immediate response has become, “Wait, what’s his birthday? Let’s look up the compatibility of your signs!!!!!!!!!!!” (Yes, the extra punctuation is necessary though a pet peeve to some — it is representative of my enthusiasm and near squealing in anticipation.)
I don’t know if it is just an illusion, but horoscopes always seem to be accurate for me. Sure, the ones clipped out of the newspaper may be a little shady because they tend to be oddly specific, sounding not too much different than, “Aquarius: Don’t invite your neighbor Ted to the party on Saturday because he is a kleptomaniac and will steal trinkets from your Led Zeppelin shrine.”
Contrastingly, personality traits associated with the signs seems to be spot on. Sometimes I cannot even get over what I’m reading absorbed in the thought that all the words suggested describe me or my friend perfectly. I believe in it entirely.
This is why I love psychology so much — I cannot get enough of learning about why people act the way they do and what type of personality they have. If you suggest to me even the most controversial of theories regarding behavior, I will almost always buy into it. Analyzing others is just way too entertaining, be it through Freudian psycho-sexual stages or astrology.
Peering into the minds of others is also kind of creepy to some extent, but I’ll just go ahead and ignore that.

Gatsby and the Green Light

Since our study guide said to think about color as we read through Great Gatsby, I started thinking about the symbolism of the green light beyond what we discussed in our in-class essays. I instantly related the green color to its common associations.
There is the obvious conclusion that Daisy’s dock light represents the American dream and Gatsby’s inability to attain it as he stares across the water, which is the case for most citizens in America. It seems so close, yet so far. The light tantalizes and tempts Gatsby but he will never reach his own American dream because Daisy is just too distant.
Alternately, my interpretation in terms of color is that the “green light” is like that on a stop light — it is giving Gatsby the signal that he should pursue Daisy. Though there are obvious complications and risks in going after a married woman, the green color tells Gatsby that he should go for it. In a city that tends to be a little morally backwards, there is a plethora of affairs, so Gatsby’s plan to win over Daisy wouldn’t be completely sinful. Of course, it is debatable whether or not his intentions for Daisy are for love, but regardless she is his goal and therefore it is the least of evils through both the East and West Eggs.
My second thought was that the light could also symbolize the jealousy and coveting Gatsby experienced. He could not stand the constant reminder from the dock that his American dream was wearing the wedding ring of Tom Buchanan.
During Nick’s first visit to the Buchanan residence, he is obviously confused when Tom rushes to the phone during dinner. Jordan’s surprised response tells him that she “thought everyone knew” about Tom’s affair with Myrtle. The reader can assume that Gatsby is encompassed in this and that it is why his mind justifies his pursuing of Tom’s wife. Gatsby enviously thinks that he deserves Daisy as his prize far more than Tom.

Family Guy can be viewed educationally. Yep. I just said that.

(This post originally had a different introduction, but part of it has disappeared because it was accidentally deleted off of my blog.)

The problem with American media is stated right in the theme song to Family Guy: “It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV, but where are those good old-fashioned values on which we used to rely?” In response to our need of the latter (and sometimes combatting it), writer Seth McFarlane offers us a program that depicts small town America in a twisted light that we all can enjoy.
Family Guy provides the perfect image of suburban life. Viewing the setting of fictional Quahog, Rhode Island through a skewed, mocking lens, the cartoon is extremely popular for its often lewd portrayal of relatable scenarios. The audience becomes familiar with the Griffins in each episode as they deal with events such as the journey of raising children, extramarital affairs between neighbors, and even feuds with politicians.
The Griffins are considered to be dysfunctional because of the antics they engage in, but in general they represent many traditional values and practices of American families. An idealistic partnership is shared between the parents; Peter is the breadwinner and leader of the family while Lois is the homemaker. They are active in their community and participate in many social gatherings with neighbors like Joe, Bonnie, Cleveland, Loretta and Quagmire.
Peter and Lois have three children (the portrait of a perfect family) including teens Meg, Chris and the infant Stewie. Completing the family is their talking dog Brian who is literally man’s best friend — or at least, Peter’s best friend. Because really, what is a man without his loyal dog?
Though it may seem silly to suggest a controversial cartoon has any connections to real life, it surprisingly is a valid comparison to classic films such as Meet Me In St. Louis, or any other media regarding small town American values.
So the next time my dad tells me to turn off my guilty pleasure TV show and do something productive, I will easily be able to explain to him why Family Guy is an educational experience. I am just exploring the American dream in a small town and its consequent morals.

Whiny Rants of a Ginger

I would like to address the most cliché topic that ever existed — how hard it is to be a teenager.
It will always sound so obnoxious and honestly tactless to complain about being at this age when things really are not that bad. There are child soldiers in Africa, poverty sucking the souls out of certain parts of Asia, and atrocious shootings as close by as the next town over to mine… And I’m complaining about being a healthy, privileged seventeen year old girl? It definitely does not seem fair or even remotely socially acceptable. I feel that I am in no place to say a word. However at the same time, it is twelve in the morning and the only way I will be able to finally drift off to sleep is if I quiet my mind by turning thoughts into text. So here I will vent most stereotypically and unoriginally.
I think the biggest issue is that it can be so hard to find your place in your own community. With a relatively sizable school, everyone should be able to make their own niche, but there are days when it just cannot be enough. Feeling detached can be a huge issue that effects significantly.
For girls especially, our minds create petty rivalries with those we are jealous of, separating us from them even more. It is not even a conscious decision but rather a course of life as natural as a koala eating eucalyptus leaves. We cannot get over the fact that Lisa stole that cute boy we have had our eye on (and what’s worse, they are perfect together, but we won’t admit that), or Jane has photographic evidence that she got backstage passes to the Jonas Brothers and the cutest one kissed her on the cheek, or Jenny has the most expensive jewelry exclusively sold in a shop in Paris. It stings when we are reminded of these things we crave, making us feel unlucky and worthless. It makes us feel as if nothing good ever happens to us. This all decreases our self-worth and has the ability to retract us from our community. Facebook is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, however, providing constant reminders of what we wish we had. And it is hard to not let it get to you.
But that’s where some of our quirkiest and most amazing individuals are born. They may not have rockstar hair or a pompous boyfriend, but they do know how to express themselves through poetry, dance or even blogging on Tumblr.
They’re here to separate themselves from the rest, because the last thing we need is more brats who grow up to be incapable of contributing to the world. Believe me. We’re good on that.
So there is hope for all the awkward, nerdy kids that don’t get the attention that everyone seeks. Maybe it is being hogged now, but they will get their moment. It is inevitable, because whenever you see a famous singer wailing on a late night show, or an actor winning an award for their outstanding performances, you can come to the conclusion that it was hard work and sheer talent that got them there. Not daddy’s money (for most of them, at least).