The Great Gatsby is Beautiful!

I found this in Chapter 3 of the Great Gatsby:

"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself."

This is where Nick Carraway sees Jay Gatsby up close for the first time in the book. Apparently, his smile seems to be both an important role and a sort of hope for imagination that seems to have vanished from Nick's life. During this first initial meeting, Nick describes Gatsby's lack of focus. That he has the ability to make anyone that sees this dazzling smile feel so specifically special that they feel very optimistic towards themselves. It makes them want to smile, and that's a very rare thing to find, even in today's time.

I think this passage is beautiful because it reflects Gatsby's personality a little bit. He's a very genuine person, he doesn't like to feel bad or sad or upset in any way. He likes to entertain people. He likes to make other happy and help them to forget about their problems. And maybe the reason he feels this way is because of the "Very sad thing" that happened to him so long ago. Because, maybe, when he makes other people happy, he forgets about his sorrows as well? Maybe.. Just maybe... That's why he throws so many parties, maybe he throws one every time he is reminded about the very sad thing. Or maybe it's just my imagination?

Ultimately, What Is Worth Fighting For?

In my opinion, there are many things that are worth fighting for. But it all comes down to what someone will fight for. Whether it be rights, a loved one, a job title, a drink that was spilled in the local bar. Some people will fight for anything and everything that gives them an opportunity to. I know many people who fight just for fun, to relieve stress, to take aggression and put it into something worth wild.

Not to mention, if you're going to "fight" for something or someone, what type of fight are you speaking of? A physical fight, a mental fight, an emotional fight, a verbal fight? There are many different kinds of fighting. I honestly don't think that there are any legitimate reasons to physically hit someone. Most think that "They hit me first" is a good excuse, it's not. Just because they hit you doesn't mean that you have to hit them back.

A mental fight is worth fighting when you feel strongly about a topic. (I don't like to talk about politics online, but this is a perfect example) For example, ObamaCare, the American Economy, the general well-being of a country. A lot of people don't like these things, or think they should be better or changed and they fight for it. They explore every possibility for the subject in question, they make sure (sometimes!) they know all the information before attacking.

An emotional fight is only worth fighting if you don't want to lose the emotionally attached item or anything like that. I mean, if you want to have an emotional fight, go ahead. It doesn't often affect more than a small group of people.

Verbal fights happen all the time, it's pure human hatred when these happen though. Someone is pushed and pushed and pushed and then they snap, which is to be expected. I mean there's only so much a person can take.

So, I guess it's all up to the person as to what is worth fighting for. For me, Family, Freedom, and Fairness are worth fighting for. Because your family and your freedom are all you have in this word, that's all that matters to me. My Family and my Freedom are the main two that are important to me, anyway.

What Was Most Memorable About Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby?

In my opinion, the most memorable moment in chapter one is when Nick was outside of his house, and he sees Jay Gatsby goes over to the gap between the West and East Eggs and just opens his arms to the Green light that was shining across the water. Nick knew that the light was being caused by Daisy Buchanan. And this makes him think that maybe there is more to both Jay and Daisy that what may seem. I think that that was the most memorable moment because it's starting the entire story, their entire romance, the entire plot, the entire book. It's all starting at this moment.

I don't know why but it gave me the chills.
Thumbs up to Chapter 1! :D

--Lauren

If You Controlled Every Single Detail of Your Personality, What Kind Of Person Would You Want to Be?

If I could control my personality, I would:
-Be one of the funniest people in the world.
-Be care-free and to not care what other people thought of me.
-Be smart, caring, compassionate, funny, wise, fashionable, likable, and trustworthy.
-Be able to trust more easily because I don't like being scared of letting someone see the real me.
-Be daring, that way life wouldn't be boring.
-Be witty, because that's always a fun thing to be.
-Have a lot of self-control, because then I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions.
-Be patient, because then I wouldn't feel so rushed to grow up and get started with my life.
-Be nice in general. Because isn't that what everyone wants to be.
-Be leader, because they get things done.
But most importantly, I would want to be a friend. Because there are way to many people in this world that want to bring other people down because they feel insecure in who they are. I want to be a friend. Because everyone needs one. I don't care who you are, you need a friend at some point in your life, whether you want to admit it or not.

What Are Rich People Like?

Well, this is going to be a little bias, because I am considered 'rich' because I'm settled in the middle-class of society. My dad has a high-paying job and my mother is blessed enough to be a stay-at-home-mother. I have 3 sisters, a two-story house, and a tanning bed in the upstairs bonus room. You could say that I was considered 'rich'. There are many ways to measure a families wealth, but I'm assuming you want to know about the money aspect.

Well, according to me and the people I know, "Rich" people are not as snobby and stuck-up as people think they are. Granted, it's a horrible stereotype that many people in the lower classes depicted through the stories like Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, and other films that Leonardo Decaprio was in that rich people are heartless, they don't care for anyone but themselves, they are spoiled, they are selfish, etc. Actually, no. We aren't. We have more to give than just money, we have resources that we can loan out to people, and often do.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Get to know the person before you make assumptions.

Is There Something You Would Change Your Whole Life For?

Yes, I would change my life for the ones I love. If they weren't happy with the way I was I would change for them. Because my family means everything to me. I want to please them. I want them to be proud of me. That should be what everyone wants, right? To be accepted and loved? 

But at the same time, I don't know if I would change it. Because if they don't love me for who I am... But for someone I've pretended to be, do I really want them to love me anyway? Or is it just something that I am going to have to do for them. To make them happy? 

Yes I would... I think. 

If You Had to Pick One Thing That You Wanted More Than Any Other Thing What Would It Be?

If I have to pick ONE thing, then it has to be I want people to read my book and absolutely love it! I want to be as big as J.K Rowling, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, and Dr. Suess. I want everyone to know my name as an author. I want to be able to walk out on the street and people run up and ask me to sign a copy of my book. That's what I want most in this world. Or at least right now it is. 

The reason I want this is because it's something that I've wanted since I was 6 years old. It's always been my dream, because it's what I'm good at. I love to write, I love to create, I love to think about a story-line to the point where I'm bored with it. I want to pick-and-pull apart stories until there's nothing left to think. I want to be able to analyze and summarize every book in the library system. Yes. That is what I want.