song from the 1920's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io0uqrp9dco
It is a very relaxing calm song. The trumpet plays a big role and it seems to drift. Happy uplifting message not too much depth.

Tom/Daisy/Jourdan

Tom seems to have a need to be in control of every situation. He changed the subject and interrupts people a couple times during these couple pages which make me feel as if he has to be the center of attention and the most important thing going on. He is also having an affair, but is suspicious Daisy is.
Daisy seems to be exhausted with her life. I think she is bored out of her mind but complacent and resigned to her life. Focused on trivial things, for example, the butlers nose. She needs people to like her and be attracted to her.
Jourdan is trying too hard to be uninterested. The motions Fitzgerald give her make her seem like she is living to relax and have comfort, the couch and the way he described her sitting down. That is why it was so surprising when it was later discovered she was an athlete.

west/east egg

I imagine East Egg as a row of almost identical enormous white houses facing the bay. Not much distinction between the houses except a turret here or there. It's completely clear cut with sculpted bushes.
http://billionaireaddresses.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/billionaires-row-billionaire-mansions-london.jpg
I imagine West Egg with a little more personality. The houses are of equal size but from different time periods are sparsely spread out. In between them is a dense wooded area.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/The_Haunted_Mansion.jpg -The sort of house you would see in west egg

Handout Analysis

Harlem in the Jazz Age:

In the 1910's many African Americans began moving to more northern states. Despite prejudice against them, they brought new genres and styles of music to a central role in popular culture. Some, however would move to Europe to perform for a more tolerant audience,Many of these artists are still widely known, such as jazz musician Louis Armstrong or singer Ella Fitzgerald. This music gave white people a more in depth view into the world of a black person and helped create sympathy and understanding.

Prohibition:

Prohibition was a largely unsuccessful attempt to lower crime rates and alcoholism in the 1920s-1930's. Many children grew up reading a textbook in school, known as the "Mcguffy Readers" and was strongly anti-alcohol abuse which in part lead to negative connotations on the subject. Prohibition actually lead to an increase in crime and trafficking and brought the famous criminal Al Capone to power. It eventually ended in 1933 due to a need for the money from the taxation of the product and growing opposition.

Editorial Observer; Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rouge, Is a Man for Our Times:

Adam Cohen's tone seams to be a strong belief in perseverance. He admires Jay Gatsby's ability to claw his was out of poverty, even if his means of doing so and reasons may not be the best. He calls him a "cynical idealist", two seemingly contradictory words but they make sense in context. He wants the American dream, but realizes he will have to do unscrupulous things to make it. Gatsby is always striving for what he can not have no matter what the cost. 

Scott Fitzgerald Looks Into Middle Age:

I learned more about the setting about The Great Gatsby then i had previously known. Rather in the peak of the age of the flapper, it was up being at the end. While it was dwindling away and the country was growing older, wiser, and more wary of the reckless abandon in the previous years. The characters in this book seem to be like children themselves. Drawn to anything new and exciting and unable to look past the present moment.

Loyalty

I think my time is mostly wasted. School and exercise are obviously not, but I spend the majority of my time watching TV or isolating. Also Reddit. Hours and hours of Reddit. To me, loyalty means being able to rely on someone when you need them. Knowing that they will be there as soon as you ask, and just knowing you can trust them no matter what the situation is come with loyalty. I feel most loyal to my close friends I've known for years and my boyfriend. I don't think you can measure happiness at all, because as the guy in the video said, how do you measure something that is fleating"? The majority of us dont spend the majority of our time happy. What matters to me is trying to stay positive overall and not slip into some kind of state it would be hard to get out of. Looking towards something else is what keeps me positive.

Leaders

One person who is an example of a great leader is Admiral Adama from Battlestar Galactica. Even though the fleet was facing hard times and should have had little to no hope of ever finding earth he drove them on and rallied them and made them live and work one day at a time. He inspired them through giving them rousing speeches and hope of one day finding a home, he also worked very hard and sacrificed everything for what he believed. I think it contributed because he really believed in a better life for the crew and himself. I think you are more successful at doing things you believe in because it drives you to work harder. I can be very apathetic about school but when we are doing something I really enjoy or am genuinely interested, and I don't just try and skate through.

swimmer

The video we watched about the swimmer, Nina, was pretty amazing. She just has a determination and stamina that most of will always lack. She seams to really be doing something she loves too. I guess you would have to to be practicing that many hours a day. I admire her passion. You have to think though about the situations that she begins swimming, the first and the second time. Swimming away from the pain of being molested. Swimming away from the pain of her mothers death and a fear of getting old. Maybe what she needs is not a swim from florida to cuba, but a good therapist. Nevertheless she is a cool lady and I hope I look that good at 60 years old. Yes she has clearly failed. she lost all of the money people have given her and is probably really disappointed and feels unfulfilled. Yes, i felt it was my time at one point. Im not going to go into details but if my plans had actually gone through i probably wouldn't be here right now. It felt right but I fucked it up. "The journey is the destination" means that its just as fulfilling as actually completing something.