The Great Gatsby: Ch. 1-5

       One of the major themes of the Great Gatsby seems to be that money does not truly bring happiness. Many characters in this story are extremely wealthy, yet they are not content. For example, Gatsby has a huge mansion and lives an extravagent lifestyle, but he only wants Daisy, so the money doesn't matter to him. Daisy is married to a rich man, but he doesn't treat her right. She doesn't really love Tom but she married for money, but she is unhappy and sad throughout the story.
    Another theme is the negative side of the American dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald believed that people lacked morals and would do anything for money. Gatsby most likely gained wealth by doing immoral things. Daisy married for money instead of love. The characters seem so caught up with being rich that they lose sight of their morality.
    So far, I have noticed a little bit of a contradiction by the narrator, Nick. In the beginning, Nick says that he is "inclined to reserve all judgement," but throughout the chapters, he contiuously judges people. He believes that Jordan is a liar. At Gatsby's party, Nick judges everyone around me. He think all of the people are snobby and unwanted at the party. These are just a few of the judgements he makes.
    One of my favorite parts of the chapters so far is the love story between Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby's dream was to be with Daisy. The green light that Gatsby is reaching for at the beginning of the book symbolizes his hopes to be with Daisy. In chapter 5, they reunite and their love is kind of rekindled.
    I don't think this book is going to end the way I want it to. I highly doubt that Gatsby and Daisy will end up together because I doesn't seem like one of those happily-ever-after fairytales. Most of the characters are not especially likeable, and they all seem to be tangled up in dark things.

The Minister's Black Veil

 The Minister's Black Veil is a short stor about Reverand Mr. Hooper, a minister. He starts wearing a black veil over his face, which made the church congregation scared and uncomfortable. He wore it all the time and the congregation was so uncomfortable, they only called for him at funerals. Mr. Hooper was a great minister, but noone could get past the veil, so they ostracized him. In the end, he states that the black veil is his symbol of secret sin. He wears his outwardly and sees the black veils on others.

In The Minister's Black Veil and The Crucible, any form of social deviance or difference is persecuted. In The Minister's Black Veil, He is excluded and feared just for wearing a veil on his face. In the Crucible, these women are condemned for things like living with their boyfriends or having diffferent customs.

On Writing Final Essay

         

            In On Writing, King states that a good writer writes often. Throughout his life, King demonstrates his dedication to his writing and shows that a good writer, such as himself does write often. No matter how many rejection letters he got, King never gave up on his writing.

            At a young age, King started reading comic books all of the time. He started copying these comic books and adding his own parts into them. Eventually, he started writing his own stories to show his mom, and he kept writing and progressing. Although he was really young, he continued to write all the time.

            When King was an adolescent, he sent in some of his  stories to be published, but they were all rejected. For example, King sent in his “Happy Stamps” story to Alfred Hitchcock, and it was rejected. He even started nailing rejection letters to his wall to motivate him to keep improving on his writing. He never gave up on his writing, and when he was 16, he started receiving notes with the rejection letters. Little by little, King improved and became one of the best writers of our time.

               In On Writing, King says a good writer should read a lot and write a lot. He takes books wherever he goes and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He is dedicated and knows it is part of his job as a writer.

            Even after he became a famous writer, he continued to practice and push himself to do better. He wrote during all of the hard times in his life without giving up. He wrote while he was overcoming his drug problem and his drinking problem, and he is still writing best-selling books.

            King’s commitment and devotion to writing inspires many writers. His desire to keep improving is the reason he is such a wonderful writer, and I hope many writers learn from that.