Modernity in the Great Gatsby. Speech Sample.

Scott Fitzgerald examines concepts of modernity, and other concepts about development of American History in the publication, The Great Gatsby. The literature in this case reflects the theme of modernity through text that shows the development of new cities such as New York. Scott Fitzgerald’s book is a modernist piece of literature rich in information that builds understanding on development of cities, and the rise of modernity in history as depicted by characters within the book to represent the real life situation. Different forms of modernist literature have similarities; therefore, there are significant thematic relations between Fitzgerald’s work and that of other writers such as Virginia Woolf (Linda, 2000, p 10). The Great Gatsby gives information through narration on a historical, intellectual and cultural perspective, and the narration is in first person point of view.

Development of cities is a sign of modernity in this case. Modernity is a theme present in Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, which is depicted through the action and relationships of characters. The development of the valley of ashes, and cities such as New York shows modernity and change of the environment. From a historical perspective, the literature in this case reflects a situation that summarizes the real life situation facing Americans in the 1920s (Tredell, 2011, p 6). The Great Gatsby is a story that also revolves around the character, Gatsby, who is an ambitious man, and aspects of modernity are displayed through his actions. A number of critics analyze Fitzgerald’s literature, and come up with different findings with regard to the handling of themes in text. With regards to the development of New York City, the literature alludes to T.S Elliot, an issue that shows similarities among modernist pieces of literature. The setting of the plot of the Great Gatsby was in the 1920s; therefore, the text reflects on the nature of life at the time; for example, reaction to change as a result of modernity.

The theme of modernity revolves around the concept of change, which leads to acceptance of development. The Great Gatsby is a crucial work of fiction with strong elements of reality, especially historic elements. The development of cities occurs because of changes in the lifestyle of people; for instance, through acquisition of wealth and expansion of businesses. The Great Gatsby shows that the life style of people at the period of development of new cities involved expansion of interest in business. Fitzgerald alludes that money is a necessity, and attributes the development of cities to money. Modernist texts aim to show the level of change between the pre-modern period and the modern era, and the mythical landscapes in the Great Gatsby display modernity, where there is use of cars moving across the Gatsby world on journeys.

With regards to modernity, the focus is on innovations and inventions. For example, there is invention of telephones and cars that contribute to the development of cities. Cars increased the mobility of people as displayed by the frequent journeys by the narrator Nick and Gatsby. The example of New York City reflects text by T.S Elliot to show modernity as the cause of development (Linda, 2000, p 9). The Great Gatsby is narrated in first person point of view narrated by “Nick”, the neighbor of Gatsby, who is also the main character, and a controversial millionaire who was just a boy with a dream. The plot focuses on the life and actions of Gatsby, and his relationship with other characters such as Tom, who is a significant contribution in the understanding of modernity. This story of a young Gatsby seeking transformation to success displays the story and history of America, showing the development of the valley of ashes in the text.

Like other modernist texts, for example, by Virginia Woolf, the show of modernity and development uses comparisons where there is contrasting situations to show change. There is also significant use of symbolism to display cities, for instance, through the use of “egg” to represent cities. There were East and west eggs, that represent significant geographic locations. The development of cities resulted from the development of effective transportation and communication systems because of reference of the increased use of automobiles (Hesch, 2008, pp. 86).

The Great Gatsby is a reflection of a changing world as a result of effects of modernity that led to the development of new cities, and changes in people’s life. The conversion of a boy’s dream into reality of success forms the plot of the literature, and shows transformation of Gatsby’s world through modernity. The narrator, Nick, sets the tone of the text, and the content is coherent throughout, where each piece of information leads to new information. The setting of the Great Gatsby is in historic America in the 1920s, which reflects the sparking up of modernity. The literature successfully shows the development of cities in a way that relates to other modernist texts, for example, Elliot’s views about New York City (Linda, 2000, pp. 9).