Sarah Schmitt
Miss Stress
AP Language and Composition
9 January 2012
The Great Review
Seldom has one of our required reading novels been as enjoyable for me as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. One of the things I liked most about The Great Gatsby was the narrator, Nick. Nick’s straightforward diction and syntax made me feel as though I was with him every moment of the book. To me, the lack of flowery, elaborate diction made the book all the more pleasant to read. Books like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter are unpleasant to me because of the lengthy sentences and overuse of complex diction and rhetorical strategies; these are excellent for creating beautiful imagery or symbolism, but I prefer books that tell a story. Nick Carraway brilliantly navigated The Great Gatsby’s range of characters; Nick provides a reliable narrator and relief from the superficial wealthy class The Great Gatsby is centered around. Books like The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, and Lord of the Flies, all provide insight into human nature by telling a story, instead of using obvious, complicated rhetorical strategies to attempt to teach a moral lesson. Other students, like my brother, for instance, who told me that Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay trade places before I even started A Tale of Two Cities, usually spoil the books we read in class, but fortunately, I began The Great Gatsby with no idea as to what would happen. Gatsby’s death came as a total shock to me, but only made the book that much better. Ultimately, The Great Gatsby was one of the few required reading books that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this year, that I will probably read many more times in my life.
I completely agree with your ideas about the Great Gatsby, I had no idea what was going to happen in the end of the novel which made it just that more interesting. It was relatable which made it fun to read because I didn't have to investigate each sentence to realize what was going on. The interesting plot and ability to relate to the characters made me want to read on. I really enjoyed the idea that I had no idea what the outcome would be because I always seem to be told, whether on accident or purpose, what is going to happen and it seems as if when that happens I loose my interest in the story.
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