The Karen Speaks of Rivers

In the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, the theme of African Americans and their deeply integrated roots throughout history prominently connects the the poem from start to finish and fosters verisimilitude. Hughes demonstrates verisimilitude by describing civilizations of the past in which the African history has been a part of, thereby emphasizing the real, weary history of his people. Indeed, Hughes even states he has "known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins" to remind readers that the authentic history that African Americans have been a part of started from the beginning of civilization. Veins, like rivers, are not only twisted and longwinded, but have the ability to provide sustenance and support life. Yet ironically, African Americans have been subject to slavery since Euphrates and have not been given the chance to flourish and create an auspicious history. The word "ancient", meaning decrepit and primitive, is repeated twice in the passage to emphasize that the African people have been fighting for racial equality since the beginning. Their struggles through society have in turn produced weathered souls, much like how a river's environment may become weathered. Hughes once again fosters verisimilitude when he references Lincoln's first glance of slavery in the South, predicting that once again the river will flow with a golden glow into the sunset and mimic the transformation from enslaved to free souls. The journey that Hughes' takes reader throughout his poem mirrors the arduous struggles his people have gone through, demonstrating the weathered and fettered footprint African American history has imprinted upon the world.

Jay Gatsby: A Man Who "Préci"ed Down the Wrong Path

In the novel "The Great Gatsby", F. Scott Fitzgerald claims that an American dream that idolizes an unrealistic ambition, such as recreating the past, is the greatest weakness, creating both unnecessary turmoil and a shattered mentality after a dose of reality. Fitzgerald supports his opinions by analyzing Gatsby's reckless behavior resulting from his fervent desire to possess Daisy, his unnecessary jealousy and vigilance, and his inability to let go of his dream. The author's purpose is to caution the reader that while dreams establish a magical and youthful essence, idolizing an unobtainable dream only breeds a vulnerable and parochial perspective, in other words, a one track mind. The author writes in a didactic yet conversational tone (through the perhaps unreliable point of view of Nick Carraway) for young adults who defied the morally upright values of their elders in the scintillating 1920s.

Jay Gatsby. A man we can all relate to. In our own quest for the "green light", whether it be wealth, love, happiness or the like, we often become blinded by our own dream by blowing it up and squeezing all other perspectives out. Dreams become our weakness.

It's interesting, how literature can connect so much to music. After all, music is just another language, another form of communicating ideas and opinions.

Which is exactly what Kris Allen did, in his song "My Weakness".

Sunrise on the east side
Want to wake up next to you
But I'm dreaming on the west side
Trying to find my way to you

[Wow, if this isn't a shoutout to Gatsby...]

Tell me you want me
Speechless and I'm shaking
Tell me you need me
You better believe when I say you are my weakness
You are my weakness and you get me ever time

Gatsby dreams not just of Daisy physically; he wants her to admit that she only needs him, only loves him, only ever wanted him. His passion for her love binds him to his fate, obstructing the warnings and advice of Nick. Daisy is Gatsby's weakness, to the point that he shields her from Myrtle's death and dies in her place. A fatal game of "She loves me, She loves me not", if I do say so myself, with such a lethal daisy.

Jay Gatsby: Disney Hero

Every child has a hero.

Indeed, a great part of my childhood was spent with Buzz and Woody, Simba, Aladdin and Peter Pan. The whole Disney crew. The magic I found in Disney engulfed my imagination, inciting dreams of love, fortune, and ultimately, defeating the bad guy.

But when did I start to outgrow the dream? When did I realize that the magic depicted in Disney movies was just bitter coffee loaded with creamer, sprinkles of sugar, 5 pumps of vanilla and hazelnut syrup?

In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is really just an overgrown Disney hero. What makes a Disney hero?

The Classic: When you wish upon a star, your dreams..come true.

Fitzgerald ironically places Gatsby in a situation where he wishes and hopes for his dream, using the green light of Daisy's dock as a star to guide him. Like Pinocchio, who desperately wishes for the impossible dream of becoming a boy, Gatsby hopelessly strives for the light, believing that his trembling hands will one day grasp fortune and love.

Deal with the Devil

Much like how Ariel sells her voice and Hercules gives up his life for their dreams/goals, Gatsby "sells his soul to the devil" when he decides to make a fortune out of bootlegging and other illegal activities. His relationship with the dubious Meyer Wolfsheim proves his money was not innocently earned.

Damsel-in-Distress

Gatsby believes that Daisy never loved Tom, and his misguided judgment prompts him to act in heroic manners to "save" her. His pursues his dream to steal her away with money, clothes and other materialistic goods.

Love at First Sight

Seems like Gatsby instantly fell for Daisy, "the first 'nice' girl he had ever known".

The Power of Friendship

Gatsby throws lavish parties in order to discover the whereabouts of Daisy. Of course, he comes off as a socialite, when people he didn't even invite show up at his grand parties.

Disney stories are glazed with happy endings, triumph and joy. Fitzgerald shows us the demise of Gatsby, whose dreams very much resemble that of a hero. However, Gatsby's dream is unobtainable, and reality knocks Nick off his feet when he realizes Gatsby was a dreamer caught in unfortunate circumstances.