"Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty" Vs. The Great Gatsby chapters 1-4: Week of 4/6-4/104/4/2020 Prompt: How does Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby support or refute the central ideas of “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty” by Bob Mondello? To answer the prompt, write a brief paragraph to prove your claims. Include the central idea(s) of “Hollywood Dreams of Wealth, Youth, and Beauty”, your argument as to whether chapters 1-4 support or refute those ideas, and textual evidence from each source.
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Halle Webb
4/7/2020 10:58:05 am
Both texts give a sense of what the American dream is supposed to look like. In "The Great Gatsby," Jay Gatsby throws big, glamorous parties, (so large, in fact, that most people going to his parties are not even invited) full of famous individuals. Hollywood depicts America as a wonderland, of sorts, much like Fitzgerald depicts the 1920s. Though both of these depictions of America are what most would dream about, in reality, they tell of things that are simply untrue. While Gatsby throws charming parties, no one truly knows who he is, and frankly do not care who he is. Nick explains, "...those who accepted Gatsby's hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him (61)." Gatsby puts on the persona of having it all, but no one truly knows that he himself has his own struggles, behind his wealth. Much like Gatsby, Hollywood depicts unrealistic expectations of the American dream. Mondello explains, "The movie industry stacks the deck pretty heavily... Hollywood can make the American dream seem a persuasive reality - even if it's not the reality most of us experience (4)." Those who do not live in America do not see the struggles of ordinary people because Hollywood doesn't depict struggle, or at least struggle that doesn't end in success. Fitzgerald and Mondello understand that while wealth and happiness is the ideal American dream, it is simply not a reality for most individuals.
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