Time in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Time in The Great Gatsby Time is an idea described in different periods and aspects, for example philosophical, psychological, physical and biological. This time flows evenly but is broken into the past, present and future. Since we only live in the present forever planning for our futures and dreams, when we try to live in the past it restricts our future. Throughout Fitzgerald's novel, Gatsby wasted time and his life for a single dream, and it was his illusion of his ideal future that made time a key dimension in his life. Gatsby suffers from past memories of Daisy and tries to relive the relationship and in the process Gatsby was murdered. Nick says, "Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion". Gatsby's idealistic view of Daisy was, she was of pure and perfect form and after he kisses her, his ideal perfect relationship starts to decay, "...and the incarnation was complete". The incarnation meaning Daisy cannot be ideally perfect anymore now that Gatsby's with her. Daisy is not pure and perfect like Gatsby thought she was in the past. From Gatsby's illusions of the past preoccupying all his thoughts, he forgets about the key dimension he exists in which is the present. Although Gatsby was persistent on reliving the past, Gatsby vaguely lived for the present. This is apparent when he cancels his biology by leaving home, changing his name, and leaving his heritage behind which was not done by following the past. In the past Jay Gatsby made, "...a platonic conception of himself". What Nick said about Gatsby's platonic theory of himself was that Gatsby "...was a son of God". From Jay Gatsby's theory he makes a ideal conception of himself, of which he projects himself into the future. Ultimately Gatsby is left with the choices to "...suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder," or kiss Daisy and "...his mind would never romp again like the mind of God". In Gatsby's choices he is to climb "the ladder" to God which represents Gatsby's future or choose Daisy and choose the past.

New Revelations of Pre-Columbian America

In his breakthrough book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann changes myths about the Pre-Columbian America into scientific facts that nobody would deny.   The book is a discussion about the scientific reality of Native American life before Columbus set foot in America.   As it turns out, this view of reality based on scientific details is completely different from what we had previously thought about Pre-Columbian America.   The thesis of Mann’s book may be summed up in his own words thus:When I went to high school, in the 1970s, I was taught that Indians came to the Americas  across the Bering Strait about thirteen thousand years ago, that they lived for the most part in  small, isolated groups, and that they had so little impact on their environment that even after  millennia of habitation the continents remained mostly wilderness.   Schools still impart the  same ideas today.   One way to summarize the views of people li ke Erickson and Balà ©e would  be to say that they regard this picture of Indian life as wrong in almost every aspect.   Indians  were here far longer than previously thought, these researchers believe, and in much greater  numbers.   And they were so successful at imposing their will on the landscape that in 1492   Columbus set foot in a hemisphere thoroughly marked by humankind.After introducing the main thesis of his book – that, in fact, Native Americans were far more civilized than we had previously imagined – Mann begins â€Å"Part One: Numbers from Nowhere† by dealing with New England in the 1600s, and the myth that European technology was far superior to American Indian technologies.   This myth was based on the fact that the Indians did not appreciate guns.   However, the reality is that the Indian moccasins were far more comfortable than the boots of the European; and the canoes built by the Native Americans were speedier and more mane uverable than the small boats made by Europeans.Next, the author gets into a discussion about the reasons for the fall of the Inca Empire.   During this discussion we learn that while the Europeans used metal to make tools, the Indians used it for tokens.   Moreover, the Europeans had used horses while invading the Inca Empire, and the Indians did not have the technology to beat the intruders on horses.   Still, the Inca Empire collapsed mainly because of disease in addition to factionalism.   There had been a civil war after the Native Americans had clashed with the Spanish.   Smallpox and various other epidemics were also responsible for the fall of the Inca Empire.The first part of Mann’s book also tackles the controversy surrounding the number of Native Americans in Pre-Columbian America.   Scholars have disagreed on the population of the Indians.   Whereas Dobyns believed that there were around one hundred million Native Americans living before the fall of the Inca Empire; Henige argued that the population was much less.   Yet, as Mann points out, there is virtually no evidence to suggest that the population of Native Americans was little.In addition to the above, the first part of the book deals with the Aztecs.   According to scientific evidence, the Aztecs were more sophisticated than we had previously believed them to be.   The Greek â€Å"thinker-teacher† model prevailed among them as â€Å"tlamatini.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Part Two: Very Old Bones† provides scientific evidence linked to the skeletons of Lagoa Santa that were found in Brazil’s caves to conclude that the Indians and the Siberians share common ancestry.   Agriculture, too, is a focus of this part of Mann’s book.   According to the author, the Indians began breeding maize right from scratch given that the crop had no â€Å"wild ancestor.†Ã‚   With the development of maize, the Mesoamerican life was further advanced.   The Olmec c ivilization is mentioned as an example of the high culture that was promoted due to advancement in agriculture.Mann also provides evidence that the Mesoamerican cultures made use of calendars, in addition to wheels.   However, the wheels were used only for small toys.   This is because the Mesoamericans were geographically isolated, and therefore did not have access to other people’s ideas on wheels.â€Å"Part Three: Landscape with Figures† is where Mann brings all of his evidence together to conclude that there are things we have to learn from the Indians.   He discusses the Maya, and points out that the civilization was active in transforming land.   Additionally, the author describes the unique use of fire by the Indians in this part of the book.   Apparently, the Indians used fire to benefit the plants as well as encourage the abundance of some animals.Mann points to the mistake of holding racist views about the Indians in understanding their unique cultu re given that such views cloud our receptiveness to reality.   As a matter of fact, the  Indians had reached their optimal level of environment.   Before Christopher Columbus arrived on the continent, however, the Europeans had changed the landscape created by the Indians.AnalysisIndeed, Charles C. Mann is correct in his belief that we have been collectively fed in with the myth that the Native Americans were culturally backward.   In point of fact, this myth does not surround the Indians alone.   Rather, we are made to believe that all civilizations before the major ones as we know them – the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Muslims, and the United States – were culturally backward.We further tend to believe that it was almost impossible for the civilizations of old to perform the kinds of amazing deeds that we perform today, with respect to our technology.   And so, scholars struggled for a long time trying to understand how the ancient Egyptians built the pyra mids without our present technology.   This struggle to understand was led by speculation.However, speculation is unnecessary when scientific facts are before us.   So, we are aware that the ancient Egyptians had their own technology to build the pyramids.   We do not understand the exact nature of that technology.   We may only know from the evidence we have gathered thus far that some of the civilizations of old were far more sophisticated than we had previously imagined them to be.   This is the case with the Indian civilization.   Perhaps, this was also the case with the people of the Stone Age, who might have developed themselves in terms of  philosophical thinking if nothing else.The fact that we do not possess tomes written by people of the Stone Age or the Indians, does not necessarily lead us to the conclusion that the civilizations in question were less developed or evolved than we are.   Rather, those civilizations used their intellectual capacity in a dif ferent way.   Believers in the scriptures which recount the story of Adam and Eve would all agree that the essential human being has not changed through the ages.   Based on this view, only that which civilizations focus upon in their own time is likely to vary from civilization to civilization, and the human being is the same as he was in the beginning, that is, a being that is curious and would like to see change.The main strengths of Mann’s book are its lucid language, and the vast amount of evidence collected by the author.   Mann makes his book extremely interesting by addressing old myths, and describing the facts that must replace the myths.   The book describes unique fruits, for example, that we had previously supposed to be wild.   Even so, the unique fruits consumed by Indians were as nutritious as today’s fruits.   Mann describes interesting fruits with flavors like vanilla ice cream, for instance, and others that contained high levels of vitami n C and protein.The discussion that this book is made up of is very valuable in helping us understand faulty perceptions.   According to the author, â€Å"Given the charged relations between white societies and native peoples, inquiry into Indian culture and history is inevitably contentious.†Ã‚   To put it another way, white societies may have deliberately kept us away from understanding the significance of the Indian culture.   I believe that this is untrue, given the white societies’ emphasis on knowledge.   Moreover, I trust that the mention of racism should not have been a part of this book.   After all, the book was published in a white society to uncover the reality of  the Indian civilization.   As a matter of fact, given the importance of the scientific evidence in the book, it is expected that this book will be studied in white societies for a long time to come.Works CitedMann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. New Revelations of Pre-Columbian America In his breakthrough book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann changes myths about the Pre-Columbian America into scientific facts that nobody would deny.   The book is a discussion about the scientific reality of Native American life before Columbus set foot in America.   As it turns out, this view of reality based on scientific details is completely different from what we had previously thought about Pre-Columbian America.   The thesis of Mann’s book may be summed up in his own words thus:When I went to high school, in the 1970s, I was taught that Indians came to the Americasacross the Bering Strait about thirteen thousand yars ago, that they lived for the most part insmall, isolated groups, and that they had so little impact on their environment that even aftermillennia of habitation the continents remained mostly wilderness.   Schools still impart thesame ideas today.   One way to summarize the views of people like Erickson and B alà ©e wouldbe to say that they regard this picture of Indian life as wrong in almost every aspect.   Indianswere here far longer than previously thought, these researchers believe, and in much greaternumbers.   And they were so successful at imposing their will on the landscape that in 1492Columbus set foot in a hemisphere thoroughly marked by humankind.NEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAAfter introducing the main thesis of his book – that, in fact, Native Americans were far more civilized than we had previously imagined – Mann begins â€Å"Part One: Numbers from Nowhere† by dealing with New England in the 1600s, and the myth that European technology was far superior to American Indian technologies.   This myth was based on the fact that the Indians did not appreciate guns.   However, the reality is that the Indian moccasins were far more comfortable than the boots of the European; and the canoes built by the Native Americans were speedier and mor e maneuverable than the small boats made by Europeans.Next, the author gets into a discussion about the reasons for the fall of the Inca Empire.   During this discussion we learn that while the Europeans used metal to make tools, the Indians used it for tokens.   Moreover, the Europeans had used horses while invading the Inca Empire, and the Indians did not have the technology to beat the intruders on horses.   Still, the Inca Empire collapsed mainly because of disease in addition to factionalism.   There had been a civil war after the Native Americans had clashed with the Spanish.   Smallpox and various other epidemics were also responsible for the fall of the Inca Empire.The first part of Mann’s book also tackles the controversy surrounding the number of Native Americans in Pre-Columbian America.   Scholars have disagreed on the population of the Indians.   Whereas Dobyns believed that there were around one hundred million Native Americans living before the fa ll of the Inca Empire; Henige argued that the population was much less.   Yet, as Mann points out, there is virtually no evidence to suggest that the population of Native Americans was little.NEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAIn addition to the above, the first part of the book deals with the Aztecs.   According to scientific evidence, the Aztecs were more sophisticated than we had previously believed them to be.   The Greek â€Å"thinker-teacher† model prevailed among them as â€Å"tlamatini.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Part Two: Very Old Bones† provides scientific evidence linked to the skeletons of Lagoa Santa that were found in Brazil’s caves to conclude that the Indians and the Siberians share common ancestry.   Agriculture, too, is a focus of this part of Mann’s book.   According to the author, the Indians began breeding maize right from scratch given that the crop had no â€Å"wild ancestor.†Ã‚   With the development of maize, the Mesoameri can life was further advanced.   The Olmec civilization is mentioned as an example of the high culture that was promoted due to advancement in agriculture.Mann also provides evidence that the Mesoamerican cultures made use of calendars, in addition to wheels.   However, the wheels were used only for small toys.   This is because the Mesoamericans were geographically isolated, and therefore did not have access to other people’s ideas on wheels.â€Å"Part Three: Landscape with Figures† is where Mann brings all of his evidence together to conclude that there are things we have to learn from the Indians.   He discusses the Maya, and points out that the civilization was active in transforming land.   Additionally, the author describes the unique use of fire by the Indians in this part of the book.   Apparently, the Indians used fire to benefit the plants as well as encourage the abundance of some animals.Mann points to the mistake of holding racist views about t he Indians in understanding their unique culture given that such views cloud our receptiveness to reality.   As a matter of fact, theNEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAIndians had reached their optimal level of environment.   Before Christopher Columbus arrived on the continent, however, the Europeans had changed the landscape created by the Indians.AnalysisIndeed, Charles C. Mann is correct in his belief that we have been collectively fed in with the myth that the Native Americans were culturally backward.   In point of fact, this myth does not surround the Indians alone.   Rather, we are made to believe that all civilizations before the major ones as we know them – the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Muslims, and the United States – were culturally backward.We further tend to believe that it was almost impossible for the civilizations of old to perform the kinds of amazing deeds that we perform today, with respect to our technology.   And so, scholars strug gled for a long time trying to understand how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids without our present technology.   This struggle to understand was led by speculation.   However, speculation is unnecessary when scientific facts are before us.   So, we are aware that the ancient Egyptians had their own technology to build the pyramids.   We do not understand the exact nature of that technology.   We may only know from the evidence we have gathered thus far that some of the civilizations of old were far more sophisticated than we had previously imagined them to be.   This is the case with the Indian civilization.   Perhaps, this was also the case with the people of the Stone Age, who might have developed themselves in terms ofNEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAphilosophical thinking if nothing else.   The fact that we do not possess tomes written by people of the Stone Age or the Indians, does not necessarily lead us to the conclusion that the civilizations i n question were less developed or evolved than we are.   Rather, those civilizations used their intellectual capacity in a different way.   Believers in the scriptures which recount the story of Adam and Eve would all agree that the essential human being has not changed through the ages.   Based on this view, only that which civilizations focus upon in their own time is likely to vary from civilization to civilization, and the human being is the same as he was in the beginning, that is, a being that is curious and would like to see change.The main strengths of Mann’s book are its lucid language, and the vast amount of evidence collected by the author.   Mann makes his book extremely interesting by addressing old myths, and describing the facts that must replace the myths.   The book describes unique fruits, for example, that we had previously supposed to be wild.   Even so, the unique fruits consumed by Indians were as nutritious as today’s fruits.   Mann describes interesting fruits with flavors like vanilla ice cream, for instance, and others that contained high levels of vitamin C and protein.The discussion that this book is made up of is very valuable in helping us understand faulty perceptions.   According to the author, â€Å"Given the charged relations between white societies and native peoples, inquiry into Indian culture and history is inevitably contentious.†Ã‚   To put it another way, white societies may have deliberately kept us away from understanding the significance of the Indian culture.   I believe that this is untrue, given the white societies’ emphasis on knowledge.   Moreover, I trust that the mention of racism should not have been a part of this book.   After all, the book was published in a white society to uncover the reality ofNEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAthe Indian civilization.   As a matter of fact, given the importance of the scientific evidence in the book, it is expect ed that this book will be studied in white societies for a long time to come.NEW REVELATIONS OF PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAWorks CitedMann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.

Love in Poetry Essay - 3954 Words

Love in Poetry There are endless ways in which love can be portrayed and occur. There are numerous types of love, whether its physical, emotional or romantic love. I intend to expand upon and highlight the various ways in which love an loss is portrayed in 5 selected poems: John Clares First Love, John Keats La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Robert Browning My Last Duchess and Christina Rossettis two poems Birthday and Remember. All of the poets portray love the concept of love or loss or both in relation to some; they all attempt to capture and express the presence of love and loss in the closest way possible. In ?First Love?, the poet (John Clare) situates his poem as if telling a story. The story of a young boy†¦show more content†¦Since the moment the poet-to-be set eyes on this fairy tail princess like figure; Clare is paralysed due to the over load of emotion which has overcome him and of such a level experienced for the first time, almost as if he is under a spell: ?My legs refused to walk away.? The poet carries on to say ?Words from my eyes did start;? as if due to the overload of emotion running through his body paralyzing him and making him dumbfound, the young boy desperately wants the girls heavenly eyes to meet with his, as if a sign to recognize him and his feelings towards her. Oblivious to the fact that the young girl still does not recognise his feelings towards here or his existence as a matter of fact; Clare carries on acknowledging his loss, and simultaneously emphasizes his undying love towards her and continuers to secretly admire her. The poet expresses his loss in such a way that the reader feels sympathetic towards him; secretly admiring and long a woman who does not even know he exists let alone his feelings towards her. ?Are flowers the winters choice ?Is love?s bed always snow these two lines express his feelings of undying love towards his first true love and how he feels he should have told her how he felt; but alas it is to late, so he puts his feelings in writing in the form of a poem. The first line expresses his feelings of admirationShow MoreRelatedPoetry and Love863 Words   |  4 PagesRhetorical Analysis of Love Poems The two poems â€Å"Magic of Love† by Helen Farries and â€Å"Love Poem† by John Frederick Nims are both poems with the central theme of love. The ways that these two authors express this theme differ significantly from each other and show two spectrums of love in literature. Through their use of syntax, diction, rhyme, and meter, these poets portray love in a unique and personal manner that illicit specific emotions from the reader for a variety of possible reasons, whichRead MorePoetry Of Love Essay1346 Words   |  6 PagesPoetry is a form of literature which can be characterized by rhythm. Poetry may be short or may be long. There is no limit to themes that a poet may use for their poem. A poem can be about animals, nature, and a common theme, love. The two poems that will be discussed in the paper have a common theme of love. While one poem speaks of love for a woman, the other explains what love is in general. Theses two poems are When You Are Old by William Butl er Yeats, and Let Me Not to the Marriage of TrueRead MorePoetry : Theme Of Love1638 Words   |  7 PagesLove in Poetry Studying the theme of love in poetry can help a relationship to move from one level to another. Poems express love in unique ways that draws the attention of both the poet and the recipient to focus and express love in powerful ways. The choice of words and phrases used in poems can provide the insight lovers needs to keep their love strong and live for as long as possible (Literary Devices, 2015). Sometimes love fades because people take each other for granted and forget expressingRead MoreThe Theme of Love in Poetry1916 Words   |  8 PagesThe Theme of Love in Poetry Love is a very common theme in poetry. By closely examining the ways in which two poets(one must be pre 1900) have explored this theme. Show what you have found to be similar/different in their handling of this theme. Many people have different views on love. Many of these views throughout the ages are explored through poetry as love has much contemporary relevance in todays society as it ever did before. Two love poems I read whichRead More Love in Poetry Essay1997 Words   |  8 PagesLove in Poetry â€Å"The course of true love never did run smoothly,† (William Shakespeare.) How far do you think the three poems you have read conform to this view? Throughout history love has been a favoured theme with many poets in their writing. Carol Ann Duffy, (born 1958) tackles the issue of love in her poem â€Å"Valentine,† as does Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822) in the poem â€Å"Love’s Philosophy,† and finally Robert Burns (1759-1796) considers the topic in â€Å"A Red Red Rose.† As differentRead MoreMy Hate And Love Of Poetry1201 Words   |  5 PagesFrom My Hate To Love of Poetry I hated poetry, loathed it even. Until eighth grade I hated writing, reading, or even listening to poetry. Something about it was remarkably confusing and annoying. Anyone that knows me would most likely think I would enjoy poetry. I am a extremely slow reader, so the fact that poetry is almost always short and easy to read would make people think it is something I would appreciate. The problem with poetry was constantly not having any idea what the author was tryingRead MoreEssay on An Exploration of Love Poetry1691 Words   |  7 PagesAn Exploration of Love Poetry Coursework Poetry is an idiosyncratic way of a person trying to articulate their feelings or other in a different way about a variety of topics, love, past experiences, politics etc. With the use of metaphors and similes, one can show diverse things without having to be precise about them. Not just words can tell us about the poem, a lot of the time we can learn how the poet is trying to express themselves, by looking at the sentenceRead MoreJohn Donne Love Poetry1442 Words   |  6 Pageslies is that, in poetry, all facts and all beliefs cease to be true or false and become interesting possibilities†¦It may not, perhaps, be absolutely necessary that he believe it, but it is certainly necessary that his emotions be deeply involved, and this they can never be unless, as a man, he takes it more seriously than as a mere poetic convenience.† It is Donne’s sensibility and his personal experiences which are revealed with a vibrancy of language in his love and religious poetry that make himRead MoreEssay on Love and Metaphysical Poetry1635 Words   |  7 PagesMetaphysical poetry. Poetry that enables its audience to take a journey with the poet throughout life’s battles, luxuries and treasures, is simply a phenomenon. Today, we are very lucky to have the luxury of many metaphysical poems; however, today we will be exploring just two. These being A Valediction Forbidding Mourning and To His Coy Mistress. Both poems possess different themes and features that will be compared and contrasted throughout, however, are connected through the discourse of love. TheRead MoreEssay on Comparing Love Poetry602 Words   |  3 PagesComparing Love Poetry In this assignment I am going compare and contrast two poems, A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns and Lucy Poems by William Wordsworth. In this assignment I am also going to discuss, how each poet uses language, how they portray the theme of love, the tradition and culture of each poet and my own personal response to these poems. Robert Burns was born in 1759, in Alloway in Ayrshire in Scotland. Burns father was a poor tenant - farmer but he