Book Circles: Day Two

Task One: Attempt to log in to see if student access has been activated.
Task Two: Complete all finals tasks from yesterday due to our shortened schedule etc.
Task Three: Read the excerpt from ”Winter Dreams” below. Then, in your response, determine how the stylistic elements of the excerpt are parallel to chapter one of The Great Gatsby.

The little girl who had done this was eleven–beautifully ugly as little girls are apt to be who are destined after a few years to be inexpressibly lovely and bring no end of misery to a great number of men. The spark, however, was perceptible. There was a general ungodliness in the way her lips twisted ,down at the corners when she smiled, and in the–Heaven help us!–in the almost passionate quality of her eyes. Vitality is born early in such women. It was utterly in evidence now, shining through her thin frame in a sort of glow.
She had come eagerly out on to the course at nine o’clock with a white linen nurse and five small new golf-clubs in a white canvas bag which the nurse was carrying. When Dexter first saw her she was standing by the caddy house, rather ill at ease and trying to conceal the fact by engaging her nurse in an obviously unnatural conversation graced by startling and irrelevant grimaces from herself.
“Well, it’s certainly a nice day, Hilda,” Dexter heard her say. She drew down the corners of her mouth, smiled, and glanced furtively around, her eyes in transit falling for an instant on Dexter.
Then to the nurse:
“Well, I guess there aren’t very many people out here this morning, are there?”
The smile again–radiant, blatantly artificial–convincing.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do now,” said the nurse, looking nowhere in particular.
“Oh, that’s all right. I’ll fix it up.
Dexter stood perfectly still, his mouth slightly ajar. He knew that if he moved forward a step his stare would be in her line of vision–if he moved backward he would lose his full view of her face. For a moment he had not realized how young she was. Now he remembered having seen her several times the year before in bloomers.
Suddenly, involuntarily, he laughed, a short abrupt laugh– then, startled by himself, he turned and began to walk quickly away.
“Boy!”
Dexter stopped.
“Boy—-”
Beyond question he was addressed. Not only that, but he was treated to that absurd smile, that preposterous smile–the memory of which at least a dozen men were to carry into middle age.
“Boy, do you know where the golf teacher is?”
“He’s giving a lesson.”
“Well, do you know where the caddy-master is?”
“He isn’t here yet this morning.”
“Oh.” For a moment this baffled her. She stood alternately on her right and left foot.
“We’d like to get a caddy,” said the nurse. “Mrs. Mortimer Jones sent us out to play golf, and we don’t know how without we get a caddy.”
Here she was stopped by an ominous glance from Miss Jones, followed immediately by the smile.
“There aren’t any caddies here except me,” said Dexter to the nurse, “and I got to stay here in charge until the caddy-master gets here.”
“Oh.”
Miss Jones and her retinue now withdrew, and at a proper distance from Dexter became involved in a heated conversation, which was concluded by Miss Jones taking one of the clubs and hitting it on the ground with violence. For further emphasis she raised it again and was about to bring it down smartly upon the nurse’s bosom, when the nurse seized the club and twisted it from her hands.
“You damn little mean old thing!” cried Miss Jones wildly.
http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/winterd/winter.html

Book Circles: Day One

Task One: Determine why Nick Carraway is an acceptable/unacceptable narrator. (You may bullet-point your list.)

Task Two: Determine why Daisy hopes her daughter will be a beautiful little fool (paragraph response).

Task Three: Identify and analyze three quotations in the text that demonstrate an “artificiality” of character, setting, theme, etc.

Overview

At the end of The Great Gatsby, we are granted an inside look into the mind of the young James Gatz. Like James Gatz, I would like you to provide us with an opportunity to review your thoughts during your journey to the West Egg and beyond. Daily, I will update my blog with specific comments or ideas of interest stemming from the chapters and discussions. A minimum of twice a week, your book circle must write a post on your own blog dealing with these issues. A gentle warning, these blogs are for the use of Honors American Literature only, I do not want you to create entries regarding topics outside the nature of this class/assignment.
I hope that this will give you an opportunity to share your thougths with your peers and open a new venue for sharing ideas online. Have fun!!!