The Last Dance

According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Americans have unrealistic visions of success and social class. His American novel The Great Gatsby, along with other modern American short stories such as Ethan Canin’s “Starfood” and Tobias Wolfe’s “The Rich Brother,” portrays America as a place where wealth and power are the most important qualities in a person. Although Many people value materialistic items these authors also highlight values of idealism and righteousness. Jay Gatsby’s persona revolves around being wealthy and being at the top of the social hierarchy while other characters like Donald from “The Rich Brother” believe in spirituality and compassion towards others. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan represent America during the roaring 1920s and their  values still hold 100 years later. There are still people like Donald and Nick Carraway who believe in being a good human and in practicing charity but they typically are towards the bottom of the social hierarchy because of their lack of power. America is a land that values wealth and social classes.  

From the massive mansion, to the extravagant parties, to the expensive cars, we can all see that Jay Gatsby is a wealthy man. Although he had all the fortune one could ever want, he wasn’t always a rich man. He was originally James Gatz, a poor farm boy from North Dakota. After warning Dan Cody, a wealthy copper mogul, about an upcoming storm, he was then employed by him and created a new persona as Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is what James Gatz aspired to be. Instead of being poor, he wanted to be a rich and powerful person with immense influence on people:  “The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself… so he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a 17-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end” (Fitzgerald, 98). Gatsby doesn’t want to be a poor farm boy because it’s too low on the social hierarchy for him. He created a new identity for him to have a clean slate and become a new man. It is exposed that he later got his money illegally. To Gatsby it didn’t matter how he got rich because his only goal was to get rich and not be ethical or moral about it. 

The main theme of the lack of morality is presented in The Great Gatsby is typically represented by the wealthy characters in. We get insight of this through Nick who doesn’t have the same wealth as Tom and Gatsby. After witnessing all of the drama and shady things that happened between Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby, he started to see that money doesn’t equate to being a good person.Leaving Gatsby's house Nick speaks about Tom and Daisy, “We shook hands and I started away. “Just before I reached the hedge I remembered something and turned around. ’They’re a rotten crowd’ I shouted across the lawn. ’You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together’” (Fitzgerald, 154). Although Nick is complimenting Gatsby, he still doesn’t approve of his moral code. It’s interesting how Nick uses the word ” worth.” It’s obvious that Daisy and Tom have a lot of money so he isn’t referring to their material worth. It’s referring to their moral worth. Both Gatsby and Daisy have made huge unethical lies throughout the novel. Daisy lied about her involvement with Myrtle's death and Gatsby's entire life is a lie because he is just putting on a persona. These values of wealth  in The Great Gatsby still appear in modern day America. People are still trying to get rich any way that they can even if it's unethical. From tax evasion, to insider trading, to unethical business decisions there are still a lot of shady things that wealthy people do in modern America. 

On the other side of the spectrum we have people like Donald from “The Rich Brother” in modern America. He represents people who have a good moral code but don’t necessarily care about wealth. His brother Pete belongs to the class of wealthy people who don’t have a good moral code. This is illustrated when Pete is driving Donald and they come across a hitchhiker who urgently needs a ride to Santa Cruz to see his sick daughter. Pete is against having the hitchhiker, who we learn is named Webster, come in the car with them. But because Donald is more sympathetic for the well-being of this random person. “Before Pete could say anything Donald got into the act again. ‘No problem’ he said. ‘We have plenty of room’” (Wolfe, 82). This is something that people like Tom and Daisy would never do. Without hesitation Donald does the Righteous thing and allows the helpless hitchhiker to travel with them without his brother's initial approval. He does this on a whim. Doing the right thing makes his moral code higher than people like Tom and Daisy who wouldn’t even attend the funeral of their murdered friend. He then proceeds to give the $100 that his brother gave him to Webster. When Pete gets mad at him about it Donald exclaims “‘I invested it. I wanted to share, Pete.’ When Pete looked over at him Donald nodded and said again, ‘I wanted to share’” (Wolfe, 88). The word “share” perfectly describes Donald’s mentality. He doesn't care if he has money as long as other people are also well off. Pete then gets mad at him about it. Pete represents the American values of caring mainly about wealth. That’s why he ditches his brother at the gas station at the end of the story. He cares more about his money than his own family. As Nick said in The Great Gatsby, because Donald is a righteous person he would be “worth” more than someone like Pete who only cares about money. However, hee would be considered lower on the social hierarchy because he doesn't care about wealth. 

America values wealth and social class. Tom and Daisy value having money and being at the top of the social hierarchy because they flaunt their money and care more about themselves than other people. Gatsby did everything with the wealth to impress Daisy but still has poor moral character because he got his money illegally. People like Donald would be at the bottom of the social hierarchy in America because they don't care about wealth but have a good moral character. America is a land that values wealth and being on the top of the social hierarchy. 

What was the best thing you ate today? Are you and your family eating different kinds of food? Are you purposely eating “old favorites”?

I went to Chick-fil-a today and had a chicken sandwich. During quarantine I like to go to a drive thru about once a week because it gives me an excuse to get out of the house. I usually go with my brother and every time that we go we get the exact same thing. I get the deluxe meal with a coke and he gets the nugget meal with a root beer. It’s like clockwork whenever we go. I wouldn’t say it’s an old favorite considering that it only opened a couple of years ago. Also, to settle the debate, the Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich is much better than the Popeyes Chicken sandwich. Just overall a better sandwich. Recently, I’ve gone to Chick-fil-a and it's the best thing I’ve eaten.

How are you feeling about spring?

In my life, spring means new beginnings. It’s the end of the desolate and sad winter season and it transitions to the happy spring season. The mood of spring is always different because people can now go outside and enjoy themselves. The weather is nicer, the Baron trees blossom, and new sports are being played which all excite me. It also excites me because it means that summer is right around the corner. Summer is my favorite season. I love it when it’s warm outside. Although spring is rainy it is definitely better than winter and that gives me hope. 

How have your thoughts about the future (immediate or distant) changed?

As of right now, I don’t know what my future looks like because of the corona pandemic. School is over and there are rumors that we might not have in person school for the first semester last year. My summer job is most likely to get canceled and all the events I’ve been looking forward to will also be canceled. The future is uncertain and it’s scary. This virus has affected the world and fortunately nobody close to me has gotten the virus. I do not know what our future will look like but, as of now it is very uncertain. 

Name one thing in nature you have noticed/discovered in the last week.

    Recently, I have been trying to go for more walks and observe more nature during this never-ending quarantine. To do this, I set out a goal for myself to wake up one morning early enough to watch the sunrise over the horizon. The opportunity arose when I had to drop a friend off at the airport very early in the morning. My friend Eido unfortunately had to move back to Israel after a complication with his job. When he asked me to drive him to the airport the next morning, I wasn’t excited because his flight was at 6AM. The silver lining in this early morning task was that I could go to the beach afterwards and watch the sunrise. When the morning came I was awake at 3AM and after I picked him up we drove to O’Hare airport and I dropped him off at 4AM. Due to the Coronavirus the airport felt completely empty with no cars anywhere in the drop-off zone besides mine. I then drove home along the vacant highway and patiently waited until 6AM when the sun would rise. After sleeping for another hour, I got in my car and drove to Gillson Park beach to watch my first ever sunrise. With my phone camera ready, I watched the world's beautiful energy source arise over the horizon and sweep gorgeous colors of red and orange across the sky. It was a breathtaking event that I will definitely try to see again. 

Name one thing you make sure to do that makes you happy, hopeful, more relaxed. 

    I’ve never enjoyed art until I was locked inside my house due to a global pandemic. When I was a kid, art was never my strong suit. Over quarantine I have decided to branch out and try something new that could relax me from the stressful world we are living in today. So, I started drawing. The first drawing I made was of an album I love, Kanye West’s, Graduation. I found a strategy online of how to copy printed images and transfer the outline onto a piece of paper allowing me to fill in the lines. Using this strategy, I successfully copied all the lines of the album cover on my paper and started coloring them in. I decided to draw with colored pencils because they were easier to draw with and I made fewer mistakes with them. Then when I colored in between lines the picture was completed and looked very close to the original picture of the album cover. When I completed the picture it made me happy because it turned the way I wanted it to. Although quarantine is a continuous cycle of boredom, I am now more hopeful because I have an outlet to express myself creatively.

What impact is technology having on your daily life? Is this different than usual?

    With no face to face interactions with any of my friends, technology has played a big part in connecting with my friends over quarantine. The only social interactions that I have with my friends are now through FaceTime, Snapchat, Instagram, and Xbox. Because I can’t see people in person, technology has essentially taken over the way I interact. I spend countless hours a week on my phone and online trying to connect with my peers. Many of the conversations are lacking real value because much of what we talk about are the pandemic that we are living under and how bored we all are. The mood of all of our conversations is usually depressing because all we want is for this pandemic to end and for everything to go back to normal. But alas, these are the times that we are living in and there is no telling when we are going to go back to regular daily life. Without technology, I would be completely socially isolated. But with technology, I am now able to connect with my friends and family in new ways. 

Prompt: What does your neighborhood look like? Are people walking around?

Ever since quarantine started the neighborhood has looked very different. When going to the grocery store there is a completely different vibe than there was before. People are now very hesitant to interact with each other. Just yesterday I went to my local Jewel Osco and I was shocked about how nervous and cautious everyone there was. 90% of the shoppers were wearing some kind of mask, gloves, or other protective clothing. It feels as if everyone is terrified that they are going to get the virus. I don’t blame them though. This is a crazy time in our world's history and now we all have to be as cautious as possible in order to not get or pass the virus. People are still walking around in the area. It’s fascinating how many new people I’ve seen near my house. There are a lot of college kids who have come back that are walking near my house that I have never seen. But, typically people are staying indoors and being as safe as possible. There are also less cars driving around the road. Often when it’s nice outside I will go on a drive. There is about 50% less traffic than usual. All the parks and playgrounds are closed. Restaurants, libraries, and schools are also closed so a lot of the time people don’t have a place to go due to social distancing. People are just staying home and protecting themselves. There is an entire different vibe during this quarantine period. 

Question: How has the Coronavirus changed your life over the past week. 

     I never thought that I’d be saying this but, I miss school. We got off school last Thursday and I have never wanted to be there more than I’ve wanted to this week. With the Coronavirus sweeping the world, all high school students have been advised to stay home, practice social distancing, and to stay out of contact with the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. For our family we’ve been in the monogamous struggle of self quarantine. We, as well as most of the world, are fearful of catching the virus. It probably won’t harm my little brother and I but, my parents and the people that they have been contacting can be affected by it. There are no more sports, restaurants, or large group events. It’s something that will be studied in our kids history book. We are living through history. Over the past week the world has drastically been affected. The stock market has crashed and the world is in a panic. Unfortunately, I don’t see it getting any better. In fact, it's most likely going to get a lot worse. Next week we will probably be in the same position with more fear of getting the disease due to thousands of new cases. I just hope that everyone stays safe. Over this past week we have become more fearful of catching the disease. 

Between America and myself

In America I am classified as white. No further description is really needed for people to think that they know everything about me. I have been “named” white. Coates would say that I have been, “Hopelessly, tragically, deceitfully” brought up to believe that I am white. But, in reality, I classify as many other descriptions. I am Jewish. I am Israeli. I am Italian. I am Morracan. I am European. I am not Just White. “The new people were something else before they were white—Catholics, Corsican, Welsh, Mennonite, Jewish—and if all our national hopes have any fulfillment, then they will have to be something else again” (Coates 7). Society has classified all of the groups described above as “White People” although all of those different groups have their own values, beliefs, and customs. Just because I have white skin doesn’t mean that I also identify with other people who also have white skin. 

          But, it’s not only “White” people that have been marginalized from all being clumped into one racial group. Black people have also been marginalized in the same way, “I thought of the spectrum of The Mecca—black people from Belize, black people with Jewish mothers, black people with fathers from Bangalore, black people from Toronto and Kingston, black people who spoke Russian, who spoke Spanish, who played Mongo Santamaría, who understood mathematics and sat up in bone labs, unearthing the mysteries of the enslaved” (Coates 67-68). All of these people come from different heritages and roots. They all are still only described as “Black” people. Everyone is different and that’s the beauty of humanity. But, when people are only described by their skin color their true bodies are not described fairly. Clumping people into broad groups based on skin color is what creates hate. 

          America has become a “melting pot” for different cultures and heritages. People from all over the globe now live in the United States which creates a more diverse and accepting environment. But, to some people this is a negative thing because people have preconceived notions about specific people’s. They don’t judge the person, they judge the actions of their ancestors and their skin color. People isolate others based on ethnic backgrounds and that creates hatred. That’s the basis of racism. Racism creates hatred towards those people. Coates believes hatred is emulated by racists because “Hate gives identity. The n*****, the f**, the b**** illuminate the border, illuminate what we ostensibly are not, illuminate the Dream of being white, of being a Man. We name the hated strangers and are thus confirmed in the tribe.” The Tribe being the racists that believe that they are better than others just because they are more “pure”. America should be a place where everyone is treated equally or as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” When people are good to each other and see that everyone is fundamentally equal, then that’s how we target and eliminate racism.