Verbal Irony in The Great Gatsby
The time period is 1925, and you are in a large American city named New York. Today is a very hot day, and the sweat is dripping down your face into a pool at your feet. You and your friend Elizabeth are sitting on lawn chairs with a fan blowing in your face. Your friend comes up with an interesting plan after sitting in the heat for so long. You’re reluctant to follow through on her idea of going to a party since Prohibition is in full force. The idea of going to a party sounds over-rated and not worth the hassle. You ask whose party you would attend. Elizabeth’s voice gets high pitched as she says, “Jay Gatsby’s”. Suddenly your eyes light up. Jay Gatsby’s parties are known for being the most extravagant and outrageous parties you have ever attended. You agree to go and, at a quarter to five, you put on your fanciest shoes and dress as well as your bright red lipstick. Arriving at Gatsby’s is one of the most unforgettable sights you have ever seen. From the looks of Gatsby’s house, this party will be one you will never forget.
Most people who read The Great Gatsby can tell there are large amounts of verbal irony present. Verbal Irony is used to make the story more interesting and shows the feelings the author has towards the story, or characters. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses verbal irony in the story to reveal his opinion on the characters he creates. These pieces of verbal irony play an important role by showing how the author builds the characters to be unintelligent, judgmental, and in love.
The first way verbal irony plays an important role in The Great Gatsby is by showing the characters are unintelligent. One specific piece of verbal irony portrays these feelings to the audience when Tom Buchanan says, “Civilization is going to pieces,” (Fitzgerald, page 10). Tom Buchanan “unintelligent” character is highlighted in this moment ascivilization willNOT all of the sudden fall to pieces. This line is verbal irony because, for society to truly fall to pieces, it would take a large amount of time and be a gradual process. This is why the phrase Tom Buchanan says is considered verbal irony, and how the author uses it portray that the characters in the Great Gatsby are unintelligent.
Not only does the author use verbal irony to make the characters seem unintelligent, but also to make them seem judgmental. Another piece of verbal irony in the story is when Jordan says, “It takes two to make an accident,” (Fitzgerald, page 39). This is a hyperbole because it doesn’t take two people to make an accident. A single person can get into an accident without the help of another car doing anything. Jordan says this to defend herself when Nick is judgmental on her driving skills. Nick says Jordan was a rotten driver, and she has to be more careful or not drive. Nick is being judgmental when he concludes that Jordan is a bad driver. This is how the author uses verbal irony to create a general feeling about the characters and that they are judgmental to each other.
Along with the author using verbal irony to portray the characters as unintelligent and judgmental, he also uses it to show the characters are in love. While Gatsby is showing Daisy his house, he shows her a pile of shirts. Daisy bends her head into the shirts and says, “They’re such beautiful shirts...It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful shirts before,” (Fitzgerald, page 59). This is a hyperbole because the shirts aren’t so beautiful they would make a person cry. Daisy isn’t crying because the shirts are so amazing, but because she loves Gatsby and all of his possessions. Gatsby earnsall his riches and money so he can impress Daisy and win her over. Daisy is overjoyed at the site of his money and what he buys with it. This shows their relationship is centered on money, not feelings, and shows why Gatsby works to become such a rich man. The author uses verbal irony to show the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby and to create the feelings he portrays from their relationship.
In conclusion, the author uses many pieces of verbal irony in The Great Gatsby. The role of verbal irony is to show how the author feels about the characters in the story. The verbal irony in The Great Gatsby shows how the author builds the characters to be unintelligent, judgmental, and in love.
Now you are back at Gatsby’s party, walking towards the front doors. A waiter offers you a glass of champagne as you walk towards the backyard you hear the faint sounds of an orchestra playing. As you get closer you hear a different sound, the sound of people yelling at each other. A man named Tom Buchanan is yelling at a girl saying, “Daisy you cheated on me!” You can’t even imagine something like this happening with the people you are friends with. You think to yourself maybe people who are rich aren’t so good after all; maybe they’re just stuck up and care just about their own happiness. You leave with a feeling of disappointment knowing these people you looked up to are liars, cheaters, and are unintelligent.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.Ware: Wordsworth Classics, 1993. Print.
By Kendyl Koehler
Myself
She was brilliant
Smiles brightened her face
Slowly her eyes glistened
Soft spoken, she held it all in
She is crazy
Smiles buried away in disgust
Slowly tears sink in her flesh
Soft spoken, became silence
She's in recovery
Smiles were faded from hurt
Slowly her eyes started to open
Soft spoken, she opened her mouth
She is healing
Smiles become wider
Slowly she starts pushing forward
Soft spoken, she opened her voice
By KelceeAlbin
I AM
I am talkative and creative
I wonder about my occupation
I hear the Word of God
I see love and violence
I want to improve my strength
I am talkative and creative
I pretend everything is at peace
I feel a lot of pressure
I touch the heart of others
I worry about the future
I cry from loss
I am talkative and creative
I understand family
I say respect is key
I dream for summer
I try to improve faith
I hope to heal fast
I am talkative and creative
ByKelceeAlbin
Human
Isn’t it funny how we are all human? Ten fingers. Ten toes. Two legs.Tww arms.A set of eyes and a pair of ears—plus a nose.Isn’t is silly? And still, we have the audacity to criticize another human being. Another human that was specifically placed on this earth with the same body parts and emotions. How inhuman can we possibly get?
By KelceeAlbin
Untitled
She got off of her knees and started pushing. They pushed back every time she got on her feet.
Temptations slither in, wrapping her up like a vine.
She fought, she screamed, and she tore through those vines like a raging beast.
She was determined.
By KelceeAlbin
Hopelessness
Imagine being alone, not physically but spiritually, and all the people around you are against you. You are surrounded by people who want you dead. You are nothing to these people. Then you are thrown into a dark, mysterious place filled with unknown almost certain death. What do you have left, and can hope even exist? Would you want to continue living when it seems you have nothing to live for? Reading the short story "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe, it seems as if the narrator will die quickly. Paradoxes in "The Pit and the Pendulum" reveal human beings thrive off of hope and each other. Many human thought processes and behaviors are better understood in analyzing the paradoxes present in how humans react to emptiness, through the inevitableness of death, and through an analysis of afterlife and peace.
To start with emptiness would make the most sense. When I say “emptiness” I mean depression and internal suffering. The narrator in “The Pit and the Pendulum” wants his death to be over with because he would rather be dead than suffer. Wanting to be dead contradicts most human thoughts. Most people want to continue living as if they have a purpose. What purpose do humans have? There is no major goal we are trying to reach while living, so why try? Along with death, humans are cursed with hope. Instead of facing reality, humans have thoughts of doing great things, and they dream. This hope fills the void of emptiness and makes it less noticeable until people awaken at three in the morning wondering why they are even alive. The emptiness never fades; it’s like a permanent cold. The narrator in “The Pit and the Pendulum” is intelligent enough to realize this. He embraces the emptiness because, in everything he has been through in the story, it never leaves him. There is a pit in the place the narrator was thrown in to be tortured because the pit is like him. A big black pit to remind the narrator how he feels: empty.
Not only are empty feeling torturous, but humans also are ill-fated with death. The human mind is heavily focused on what it can not control, and with death being far out of human hands, it is quite frightening. “The Pit and the Pendulum” is constantly focused on death, much like many other pieces by Edgar Allan Poe. When the narrator is in the chamber, his prosecutors have planned ways to end the narrator’s life. One of these ways to murder the narrator is a pit and another being a pendulum swinging down. Somehow the narrator lives through all of the almost certain death situations and keeps grasping for more hope.
In the beginning of “The Pit and the Pendulum”, when the narrator is being prosecuted, he happily thinks of death being peaceful. People usually are not happy about death, and many are afraid of pain. How are we supposed to know what death feels like when we have never died? The narrator hopes that death is peaceful because he still has hope. As mentioned before hope never fails to be with us as well as emptiness. The two emotions collide and come out when they are necessary.
Therefore humans are constantly in a mental war battling hopeless feelings, emptiness, and hopeful feelings. Consequently the war makes us question life, death, and our purpose. “The Pit and the Pendulum” is an amazing story to read if you are willing to venture past your comfortable lifestyle and fake happiness.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Pit and the Pendulum. 1843. Print.
By Jessica Jensen
The Natural Beauty of Montana
Have you ever driven through a rural area on a Sunday afternoon or gone on a road trip simply looking at the scenery? Well, the earth is full one of beautiful places where people can get away from their bustling daily lives to breathe, think, or just look at natural beauty. By watching the movie A River Runs Through It, it becomes clear that Montana is one of these places full of this type of natural beauty. Montana’s enticing appeal is second to none and can be found in all areas of the state. To get the full experience of Montana’s allure, a person must witness Montana’s structures, scenery, and river areas. To begin, some of the most beautiful hand-built structures are in Montana.
Many structures in Montana are wooden, brick, or other materials assembled by man. One of the primary buildings inA River Runs Through It is the home of the Maclean family. The house is a typical white-washed, wooden structure with only a few peaks. On the outside, there are many sliding glass windows and a hinged wooden door. Inside, the floor is mainly cedar wood with large beige floor rugs. The winding stairs in the house have a maroon-colored carpet. Another main structure is the Presbyterian Church where the Mr. Maclean preaches. This church has red-layered bricks as the walls and multiple high, rising peaks. On the outside corner of the church is a large bell tower. On the walls are tall, expansive stain glass windows exhibiting deep purples, reds, blues, and greens. Behind these hand-made structures, though, is one of the most beautiful sceneries in nature.
The scenery in Montana sweeps the countryside with brilliant colors and landscapes. The mountains magnificently overshadow the small rural town of Missoula, Montana in A River Runs Through It. These mountains reach for the sky and have a blue tint beneath the white, snow-covered peaks. Nestled high within the mountains are hundreds of small, crystal clear, freshwater mountain lakes. Near the mountains, a treacherous narrow canyon with red rock cliffs expands deep into the earth. This canyon reaches thousands of feet below the earth’s normal surface. A railroad bridge stretches across this canyon and moves into the mountains. As the setting sun hits the canyon walls, beautiful red colors glow from the red rock cliffs.Trees that extend forever spread over the entire countryside are. Up in the mountains, coniferous trees rise up until the tree line. These needled, green trees are nearly shaped as an isosceles triangle. Beneath the mountains are the broad-leafed deciduous trees. These trees rock wildly in the whipping wind and change into a vast array of reds, oranges, and yellows in the chill of fall. These trees expand down the slopes of the mountains onto the skirts of the riverbank area.
The river area gently winds through the countryside in Montana. The river itself has sections of smooth glistening water flowing calmly and sections of rumbling, white-capped turbulent sections. Purple, orange, and grey dragonflies and moths dash angrily in and out of the water while the Maclean family fishes. Green frogs rest happily on the rocks until they dart into the water. The rocks in the water are both smooth and rough. Many rocks beneath the surface of the water are smoothed and weathered by the flowing waters. The rocks protruding above the water are rough and cause the turbulence of the water. Moving toward the wood chip and leaf-covered bank of the river, there are more rocks dotted within the water. The actual edge of the water is covered by grey and moss-covered rocks. Up on the actual bank, wildflowers cover the gently rolling hills of the grassland prairies. Clearly, the beauty of Montana extends from the structures and scenery to the riverbank area.
The beauty of Montana is enough to brighten anyone’s mood and make them joyous. Montana’s enticing appeal is second to none and can be found in all areas of the state. Simply look at the hand-built structures, the scenery, and the riverbank area. Now, the next time you are out on a Sunday afternoon drive in the countryside to look at the natural beauty of the world, consider a trip to Montana, one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Works Cited
A River Runs Through It. Dir. Robert Redford. Perf. Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt,
and Emily Lloyd. Columbia Pictures, 1992.DVD.
By Caleb Krohn
An Unusual Beginning
† Chapter One †
BrahannaYendis. Brahanna Lynn Yendis.
What a boring name. People tell me my name is beautiful, uniqueand noble even. But that’s before they realize I’m a slave.
It always amazes me why people don’t ever look at my clothes. I wear rags: A dress that’s been ripped in several places. It’s the only garment I have.
I’ve been sent to do errands in the town of Eldra. It’s a bigger city with just enough room in the streets for about four people to walk side-by-side. On the sidewalks, people have set up their wares at stands, hoping someone will stop and buy something. I walked up to a fruit stand and bargained with the owner for apples, oranges, kiwis, and peaches in Eldrish. After getting a fair price and stashing the fruit in my bag, I continued on my way hoping by-passers will pay me no attention.
Hours passed as I wound my way this and that, completing my various errands. I was not looking forward to going back to my home, if I could even call it that. I was the only one who was lucky enough to be able to escape from Master Zechariah and Mistress Zaliah’s. Tonight they were throwing a small lavish party. My masters were rich and well-known. They had the political status to do anything they wanted. Nobody questioned them, so they left everyone else alone.
Even with my errands, I was one of the unfortunate few who had to help serve at the party. I get to stand behind my masters and wait for every single, stupid command he or she issued. Just the thought filled me with fury, even though I’ve never had serving duty.