Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby

A Marxist Deconstruction of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, creates an artificial world where money is the essence of everyone’s desire. The characters, the setting, and the plot are deeply submerged in a Capitalism that vows to shatter all hope for the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology (belief system) in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value (Tyson 54). Marxism is a specific branch of Socialist theory and Fitzgerald makes Gatsby a novel that is not innately Marxist or even Socialist, but one that is filled with Marxist theory. He initiates this by presenting the basics of the Capitalist society where nonhumanitarianism (not promoting the welfare of humanity), reification (treating a living thing as an object), and market value are common place. Fitzgerald implies that the Capitalist system is flawed because at the conclusion of the novel, all of the characters that represent typical American Capitalism fall from grace to a world of utter despair. Fitzgerald’s criticisms work to warn 1920’s Americans of their behavior and how destructive it can be. Marxists believe very firmly in humanitarianism; they believe that as humans, we should look out for each other and care for each other, because we are all essentially on the same level. All of the characters in Gatsby nullify this idea, because they all exploit each other. For instance, Gatsby uses Nick to set up a meeting between he and Daisy. The characters also place very little value on individual human beings or on humanity as a whole. Each character is too wrapped up in him/herself that he/she does not take the time to care for others. Class levels are prominent – the rich are drastically separated from the poor, and the rich wish to keep it that way. This is a Capitalist idea... Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby Free Essays on A Marxist Deconstruction Of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby A Marxist Deconstruction of Capitalism Through The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, creates an artificial world where money is the essence of everyone’s desire. The characters, the setting, and the plot are deeply submerged in a Capitalism that vows to shatter all hope for the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology (belief system) in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value (Tyson 54). Marxism is a specific branch of Socialist theory and Fitzgerald makes Gatsby a novel that is not innately Marxist or even Socialist, but one that is filled with Marxist theory. He initiates this by presenting the basics of the Capitalist society where nonhumanitarianism (not promoting the welfare of humanity), reification (treating a living thing as an object), and market value are common place. Fitzgerald implies that the Capitalist system is flawed because at the conclusion of the novel, all of the characters that represent typical American Capitalism fall from grace to a world of utter despair. Fitzgerald’s criticisms work to warn 1920’s Americans of their behavior and how destructive it can be. Marxists believe very firmly in humanitarianism; they believe that as humans, we should look out for each other and care for each other, because we are all essentially on the same level. All of the characters in Gatsby nullify this idea, because they all exploit each other. For instance, Gatsby uses Nick to set up a meeting between he and Daisy. The characters also place very little value on individual human beings or on humanity as a whole. Each character is too wrapped up in him/herself that he/she does not take the time to care for others. Class levels are prominent – the rich are drastically separated from the poor, and the rich wish to keep it that way. This is a Capitalist idea...

Portmanteau Words

Portmanteau Words Portmanteau Words Portmanteau Words By Simon Kewin The English language is constantly evolving. The meanings of words drift or even change completely. Sometimes words stop being used altogether and they die out. But at the same time new words are constantly being added.   These new words – neologisms – can be a source of some irritation to traditionalists, especially when there is already a perfectly good word that could have been used. But when neologisms work, when they fulfill a need, they can add greatly to the richness and diversity of the language.   A particular sort of new word are those formed when two existing words are merged to form a new one whose meaning, combines that of the two root words. These are called â€Å"portmanteau† words.   The word â€Å"portmanteau† originally meant a sort of large traveling bag. The writer Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland etc., was the first to use it to refer to a merged word. Carroll employed quite a few portmanteaux himself. The poem Jabberwocky, for example, contains the word â€Å"chortled†, probably created by combining â€Å"chuckle† and â€Å"snorted†. Similarly â€Å"mimsy† is generally taken as a mixture of â€Å"miserable† and â€Å"flimsy†. Both of these new words are now in the dictionary. For example, the OED defines chortle like this :  Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã‚   chortle:   verb laugh in a breathy, gleeful way.  noun a breathy, gleeful laugh.  ORIGIN coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass; probably a blend of CHUCKLE and SNORT. It’s likely that most people who use â€Å"chortle† are unaware it was a word made up in the 1870s.   There are now very many portmanteau words that have become accepted as valid in their own right : â€Å"smog†, â€Å"brunch†, â€Å"infotainment†, â€Å"dumbfound†, â€Å"fanzine†, â€Å"genome†, â€Å"sitcom† and so forth. They key point is that the meaning of the new word is mid-way between the two original words in some way.    Some portmanteaux are less successful. For example, it’s quite common to hear people using the ugly jargon-word â€Å"guesstimate† (or â€Å"guestimate†). This word, clearly, is a mixture of â€Å"guess† and â€Å"estimate†. But all-too often it is employed when â€Å"guess† or â€Å"estimate† would be perfectly clear and accurate.   So should writers feel free to just invent new words? Clearly many have done in the past. Shakespeare, for example, coined a variety of new usages. Perhaps the best advice would be to stick to existing words where they work as this helps keep your writing clear. At the same time, be aware that coining a new word is a possibility. In part it depends on what you are writing. It’s very common, for example, for reporters discussing some new scandal to form a portmanteau with the –gate suffix (i.e. as a reference to Watergate). Thus there is â€Å"Irangate†, â€Å"spygate†, â€Å"climategate† and so forth. A reader seeing one of these new words will instantly be able to grasp its meaning without its needing to be explained. If readers can’t make such an interpretation, however, they won’t know for sure what you intended by the word and your writing will suffer. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should Know20 Rules About Subject-Verb AgreementMay Have vs. Might Have