Gatsbys American Dream Essay - 1352 Words

A commonly held tenet among people from all generations is that hard work will ultimately lead to wealth and prosperity. This concept, illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is known as the American Dream. Although many have this dream today, it is a one in a million chance to attain it, regardless of whether or not a person is tremendously deserving of such success. James Gatz, later known as Jay Gatsby, is a character who experiences this minute probability of the American Dream coming true. Through the character of Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is so difficult to achieve that it is unattainable. Gatsby hosts extravagant parties that imply that succeeding in the American Dream is most†¦show more content†¦Gatsby adding in the last line, that some people from New York might drop in, proposes the idea that Gatsby is attempting to make himself appear more prestigious since he is â€Å"close† with people from the city. He also asks his visitors to stay for dinner so the people of East Egg can get to know him and hopefully accept him into the old wealth lifestyle. Though Gatsby tries to attain power and respect by throwing his extravagant parties, by the end of the novel, the reader is able to understand that he had gained neither before he died. The day of Gatsby’s funeral â€Å"the minister glanced several times at his watch, so [Nick] took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came† (174). No one coming to Gatsby’s funeral shows that although Gatsby spent his whole life trying to gain respect from his peers as well as power in society, he failed to do both. If he had achieved respect by throwing his parties, some of the people who attended his parties would have paid their respects by appearing at his funeral. In the end, Gatsby throwing all of his parties did not pay off and his American Dream of attaining power and respect was not accomplished. Despite Gatsby’s strong desire for wealth, the accomplishment of reaching the American Dream is made even more difficult by his adoration of Daisy and her illusive kindness. Due to Gatsby’s past and his strong yearning for wealth, the moment heShow MoreRelatedGatsbys American Dream Essay1724 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout the novel. This novel is mainly about Gatsbys attempt at an unattainable goal, winning Daisys love back through power and money. In contrast to every main character, Gatsby has clear and well thought out dreams. Gatsby’s American dream, his desire to be wealthy and win Daisy back, is desperately ruined by Daisy. Gatsby’s goal that he tries to obtain by committing crimes not only deserves not to be achieved but also is worse than having no dream. Nick meets Gatsby in East Egg, a place whereRead MoreGatsbys Pursuit of the American Dream Essay827 Words   |  4 Pages Gatsbys Pursuit of the American Dream The American Dream means that by persistently working hard, one can achieve success; this is in contrast to other countries where the immigrants came from, in which one was either born into money and privilege or not, and if you werent, there was no way of achieving this success. The American Dream eliminated the barriers between people that social class had held for centuries in Europe. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows the corruption of theRead MoreGreat Gatsby’s Commentary on the American Dream Essay1265 Words   |  6 Pagesis exchanged for one based on greed and lies, where characters with stop at nothing to attain what they desire. Fitzgerald provides a window into the American Dream, and shows that it has become one based on immorality and deception. Although the marriage of Daisy and Tom Buchanan may have been based on love and devotion, it, like the American Dream as a whole, has been corrupted to become disingenuous and predatory. Tom and Daisy are two people who are content with the somewhat platonic relationshipRead MoreGatsby’s Unrealistic American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald960 Words   |  4 PagesThe term â€Å"American Dream† is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, â€Å"Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.† Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity. However, this idea began to lose its value when people startedRead More Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay974 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels inclined to reserve all judgements (1), but despite his disapproval of Gatsbys vulgarity, Nick respects him for the strength and unselfishness of his idealism. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficialRead More Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and the Tragic Hero Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesGatsby can be defined as a tragic hero who possesses all of the aforementioned traits.  Ã‚   Jay Gatsbys main desire in life is to become a member of high society, respected more than anyone else.   Gatsby has taken steps to ensure that this desire becomes a reality.   He has accumulated wealth, power, and influence, all in an attempt to create the sparkling image of a successful man.   Although Gatsbys friend Nick is inclined to reserve all judgements (1), Gatsby is a strong, unselfish idealistRead MoreSummary Of The Color Yellow By F. Scott Fitzgerald1667 Words   |  7 Pages1. Yellow – â€Å"the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music,† â€Å"two girls in twin yellow dresses who stopped at the foot of the steps,† Gatsby’s â€Å"yellow car.† In the novel, the color yellow is associated with wealth which Fitzgerald develops in order to associate the color with Gatsby by having it be the color of his car and be very present at his parties. Affairs/Cheating – Tom and Myrtle, and Gatsby and Daisy. In the novel, affairs are very prevalent and are associated with characters of wealthRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The Death Of A Salesman1328 Words   |  6 Pageshis vision of the truth and his vision to success. The â€Å"American Dream† is the â€Å"dream† that all Americans are granted the same chance to attain their life goals whether is it success, a perfect family, or wealth through hard work, willpower, grit and initiative. These two men though, have dissimilar American Dreams. Willy’s dream is financial success for himself in addition to his children; on the other hand, Gatsby’s dream is getting his â€Å"dream† life since childhood which was attaining money, a beautifulRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Milkman s Journey 2003 Words   |  9 PagesPilates house, to his surprise he was drawn to the music and the liveliness that was protruding her house. If Pilate and Macon would have stayed together and been able to support each other maybe they would have been ab le to successfully fulfill their dreams. Even though wealth hand success Macon remains unhappy. As the novel goes on we learn Milkman’s true emotions when his father was telling him a story, â€Å"Deep down in that pocket where his heart hid, he felt used. Somehow everybody was using him forRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1543 Words   |  7 PagesParagraph The American Dream is a dream about possibilities, and a desire for success. Sometimes you can interpret the dream for money, sometimes for love regardless of what the you think it is, the dreamer works hard to reach this goal. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is driven by his desire to achieve the American Dream. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s drive to achieve the dream also results in him falling victim to it. Essentially, Gatsby falls victim to the American Dream because he is forced

The Portrayal Of Characters And Their Surroundings

Sexual Politics in Meridian through Characterization and Modernism In Alice Walker’s Meridian, the portrayal of characters and their surroundings gives great insight to the world of moral and domestic standards for both women and men in the 1960s. Walker characterizes Meridian Hill and Anne-Marion Coles as two different women with strong personalities and ideals between them and implements a modernist approach in the novel by manipulating the sequence of time to create an understanding of the social and behavioral conventions specific to the female gender in that era. Meridian describes the transformation of these roles from rigidity to progressively indistinct boundaries. Nonconformity is becoming more common as time goes on, and in the age of the 1960s anything and everything can happen. One way Walker depicts the conventions of gender roles is through characterization of Meridian and Anne-Marion. In doing so, Walker has shifted the original boundaries and begun the transition to inexact definitions of what gender stereotypes truly meant. Women that do conform to these roles might identify as an â€Å"[...]‘Obedient Daughter’ †¦ ‘Devoted Wife’ †¦ ‘Adoring Mother’ [...]† as defined earlier in the novel (6). Meridian’s character can be illustrated as multidimensional: she is misguided, conscious, selfless, proactive, courageous. One way she views herself can be depicted by this direct quote from the novel, â€Å"Meridian was conscious of always feeling guilty, even as a child,†Show MoreRelatedGender Portrayal Of The Mammy And The Mulatto Child1712 Words   |  7 Pagespromiscuous character, or the angry black woman. Within this paper, I will incorporate Bell Hooks idea of â€Å"The Oppositional Gaze†, and Marina Heung ideas discussed in the article What s the Matter with Sara Jane?† Daughters and Mothers in Douglas Sirk s Imitation of Life†. The film of focus is Imitation of Life (1959) by Douglas Sirk, the film will be analyzed, but I will scrutinize representation of black female characters within this film; in attempt to verify if this portrayal of the mammyRead MoreShould Banned Be Banned? A High School Curriculum?1603 Words   |  7 Pagesinclusion of banned books in a high school curriculum containing obscene aspects would not only strengthen comprehensive reading skills, but more importantly, increase students exposure to complex ideas that depict a gruesome, yet extremely realistic portrayal of life. Among the novels that have been banned is The Catcher in The Rye, written by J.D Salinger, which describes the idiosyncratic ideals of sixteen year old mischief-maker, Holden Caulfield, and recounts the days following his suspension fromRead MoreEs say Walking Dead and Game of Thrones1350 Words   |  6 Pageseverything looks like a ruin. The roads have cracks in them and there are abandoned places. 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Costs and Performance free essay sample

Introduction Armco Inc. , is the sixth largest producer of stainless, electrical, and carbon steels and steel products in the United States, and the Armco Inc Midwestern Steel Division is its largest division. The largest subdivision of the Steel Division is the Kansas City Works which produces two products: grinding media and carbon wire rod. In January 1991, a new performance measurement system for Kansas City Works was implemented by Bob Nenni, the Director of Finance, with the aim of providing managers the best information that would better enable them to enhance company performance. According to Mr. Nenni, the new system was designed so that managers would prioritize certain key objectives and not the numerous details provided by the old Operating Statistics Report that they have used in the past. The new system also aims to provide an improved basis for evaluating operating managers and manufacturing supervisors. This includes a balanced set of performance measures, including quality, schedule achievement, and safety, in addition to costs. The cost reports were changed to include only those that are controllable by each individual operating manager. Lastly, one of the most significant changes from the old system is the elimination of the Cost Above measure, therefore decreasing the cost detail in the new performance reports considerably. Although the new system intends to help the managers and increase their focus on relevant data, some are still complaining and dissatisfied because of the lack of information and lack of details that they have been accustomed to. Some actually prefer having the old system back, wherein monthly and annual trends are shown that allows them to compare actual costs with objectives. According to one manager, the old report provided â€Å"the minimum amount of detail necessary†. Problem What is the optimal performance evaluation system for the Kansas City Works to adopt? If the chosen system is optimal, should it be implemented to other subdivisions of Armco, Inc. Midwestern Steel Division? Areas of Consideration (see exhibit 1) Kansas City Works should consider the following factors in determining what the optimal performance evaluation system to adopt. †¢Goals and objectives of the division †¢Purpose and operations of each department †¢The Incentive Program †¢Understandability and relevance. The Division as a Cost Center Alternative Courses of Action After taking into consideration the preceding factors, we now proceed to the courses of action that the division could take to determine the optimal performance evaluation system. 1. Return to the Old System (see exhibit 2) Advantages †¢Managers are familiar with the output of the sy stem. This lessens discontent and frustration and enables managers to concentrate on their work rather than continually complain about the system. †¢The reports were given in a monthly or weekly basis which helps the managers take immediate action to solve specific emerging problems. Disadvantages †¢Because it is detail oriented, managers may misappropriate the cause of the problem as a problem with the accounting system rather than a real problem with operations. †¢Too much detail may lead managers to focus on problems whose effects are short term, rather than details that look at the bigger picture and whose effects are long term. †¢The reports done are not in line with the goals of the division of undertaking activities that are the most value-adding to the division. 2. Implement completely the New System (see exhibit 2) Advantages This system not only caters to the top management but also to the middle to the lower branches of the company by providing a standard that serves the division as a whole, and not only to the standards for their specific department. †¢It provides a more objective way of measuring the performance of a department of the division. †¢By streamlining cost reports, it will include only the most relevant information needed by each manager to assess their division’s performance thus enabling them to locate the primary problems and eventually find a solution to the problems. By limiting evaluation of managers to the cost that they could control directly, which is the spending of their subordinates, unlike the costs of their whole department, they now have a wider scope of what they are responsible of above and beyond minimizing cost. Disadvantages †¢The system was not able to provide a performance measure for each individual, particularly the managers in the company. †¢Some of the key performance measures were not applicable to other divisions of the company. 3. Adopt a Modified System (see exhibit 2) Advantages †¢This system not only caters to the top management but also the middle and lower branches of the company. †¢It provides a more objective and reliable measures of performance both in the division and individual performances. †¢Each division and individual will be able to assess their strengths and weaknesses in their performance to the company. †¢It provides a more objective way of giving compensations and incentives to the employees. †¢The system can easily adapt to unforeseen events. Disadvantages There is a possibility of resistance in the part of the managers thus resulting to delays and inefficiencies. †¢Additional opportunity costs may arise due to the fact that the employees need some time to adapt to the new system. †¢Evaluating each individual using specific measure which depends among their jobs could prove to be time consuming. Recommendation The group believes that adopting the modified system is the optimal decision for the d ivision. The modified system addresses the remaining issues with the new system: 1) it minimizes the effect of uncontrollable factors on anager performance evaluation by separating those evaluation criteria that is not applicable to the manager’s respective department and; 2) it provides the basis for employee compensation by setting minimum requirements that should be met (general measures), and rewarding them if they manage to go beyond (specific measures). Along with addressing these issues, the modified system still manages to meet the objectives of the implementation of the new system, which is to provide a performance evaluation system that manages to focus manager attention on the most relevant problems thus adding the maximum value to the division. In order to avoid resistance to change in the implementation of the group’s recommendation of the modified performance evaluation system, Lewin’s three-step management model (see exhibit 3) can be used as a framework. First, the division must undergo the unfreezing step. This is the starting point of the change. It begins the process of detaching the members of the division from the old performance measurement system. This can be done through creating the need for change. The group has already assessed this necessity. It can now be communicated through the units to educate them with the importance and relevance of the change. Support from the top management should also be acquired to affirm the validity of the implementation. The next step in the process is the change itself. Employee involvement should always be present to induce participation from them and thus reduce opposition. Involving people in the process will help generate feedback from them. This will evaluate the ongoing change process from the eyes of the worker. The hands-on experience from the change will also assure them from any uncertainty that they might have. Finally, the last in the process would be the refreezing step. This will stabilize the foundation of the change. The new rules and regulations that represent the implementation should set the standard in the division. Every element comprising the goals of the change should be well-established. Incentives for following the new processes should be given to promote abidance. Feedback systems can be instituted to evaluate the change. Support should also be consistent. With regards to the incentive and compensation that will be given to the different managers, the group would like to recommend a balance scorecard (see exhibit 4) to keep track of the performances of the managers. With this, the top management would be able to objectively measure the strengths and weaknesses of the each manager. In addition to this, the manager would be able to know what exactly are the things needed to be done by each manager in order for them to achieve the goals of the company. Furthermore, a balance scorecard would be able to promote not only individual excellence but also a division as a whole. APPENDIX EXHIBIT 1: Areas of Consideration EXHIBIT 2: Features of the Different Systems Old System†¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cost Above† System – where the cost added per ton of steel at each production sated for the entire plant is indicated †¢Operating statistics report – provided a five year history, monthly and year-to-date actual performance and objective and variances from objectives from each of the factors that determined total Cost Above for each cost center. Performances of the cost center managers and their superiors were evaluated in terms of cost control and safety. †¢Cash incentive awards are based on a performance evaluation made by their immediate superior and ultimately the division president New System†¢The vision and goals of the organization were to be translated into key success factors which would be disaggregated into de partment individual objectives that would be compared with measures of actual results. Removal of the Operating Statistics Report- cost reports would include only those costs deemed controllable by each individual operating manager. †¢Removal of the Cost Above system – that production managers were no longer held accountable for all costs incurred in or allocated to their respective areas so they were no longer cost center managers; they are evaluated based on the spending of their subordinates. †¢Provide ten specific key performance measures that are the general basis of performance for the whole division. Modified New System†¢It provides fewer key performance measures that are generally applicable to all departments of the division for a fair evaluation of their performance as a whole. The following are the key performance measures identified as general measures applicable to all departments: a. Tons per man hour b. Disabling injury index c. Total quality index d. Spending e. Maintenance Performance f. Sales price minus cost of net metal †¢Other performance measures (heats per week and cash flow) are specific only to certain departments. Hence, they are applied only to those affected departments. i. Heats per week- relevant only to the melt shop (in cases of failure in this area, the performance measure of all other departments will be affected, making it difficult to identify the actual performance of those departments) ii. Cash Flow- cash flows for all four departments have differing nature. The types and costs of materials used per department are specific only to those departments. Applying a general standard may not reflect how efficient each department really is in managing its cash flows. †¢Product mix- since the product cannot be solely attributed to a specific department; it cannot be used as a performance measure. The only relevant measures to be used are those that the managers can manipulate. Including otherwise will only further cloud actual performance (there being no perfect performance measure in reality). †¢In addition to general performance measure, there are specific performance measures which depend upon the nature of the individual duties of the employees within the company. †¢Because of the modified performance measures, it also provides for a more reliable basis for the incentive system. EXHIBIT 3: Lewin’s Three-step Management System EXHIBIT 4: Balance Scorecard

Project Kick Off free essay sample

Time: From 10:00am – 11:30am Location: 165 Shepard Avenue Invitees: Mary Jo, Bobby Doe, Mary Jo’s mom and dad, Bobby Doe’s mom and dad, Mary Jo’s uncle, Kathy (Mary Jo’s cousin) Attendees: Project Manager, Customer, Organization (Family) Announcement Letter for Kick-off meeting To: All Project Members From: Project Manager Dear Project Members, You are invited to our kick off meeting on April 10th at 371 Orton Park Road, M1G 3V1, Toronto at 10:00 a. m. , to discuss how to plan and organize Mary Jo’s and Bobby Doe’s wedding activities. Please review the Project Plan attached to get some basic information about the project. Also, please note the agenda containing the items to be discussed in the meeting. The meeting is scheduled to last about one hour and a half. I can be reached at (416) 843-6125 or by email at [emailprotected] com Sincerely, Ileana Martin Project Manager AGENDA Welcome and Introductions Project Manager10:00 – 10:15 Customer’s StatementMary Jo Bobby Doe10:15 – 10:20. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Kick Off or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Project RequestProject Manager10:20 – 10:30 Project ObjectivesProject Manager10:30 – 10:35 Project ScopeProject Manager10:35 – 10:45 Roles ResponsibilitiesProject Manager10:45 – 10:55 Discuss IssuesProject Manager10:55 – 11:05 Next Steps Project Manager11:05 – 11:15 QuestionsProject Manager11:15 – 11:30 Communication Plan Outline External Communication Plan Persons external to the project with vested interest: 1. Vendors: the video professional, the transportation company, the caterers, the ceremony officiate, the limousine services provider, the formalwear store 2. Wedding guests (indirect beneficiary of the project results)