Esther's 2018-2019 Playlist

“What we think, we become” -Buddha I was thinking about the differences between Braddock Washington and Gatsby and the way they present their wealth when I came upon this thought: The two characters chose to present their wealth differently due to the capability that they think they have. This obviously isn’t the entire reason for their actions but possibly a factor. Braddock Washington decides to preserve the diamond mountain he found by putting men who accidentally come “in the cage” while Gatsby hosts extravagant parties frequently where “people [who] were not invited… [go] there”. In Washington’s case, it can be reasoned that he wants to avoid unnecessary conflict so that’s why he chooses to hide his wealth. However, if you really look at it, it could be that his actions stem from the fear of being incapable to maintain his wealth. He allows others to acknowledge his wealth and be awed by it, but he quickly eliminates them afterward because he doesn’t want his possessions to b...

We often use the two words “dream” and “goal” interchangeably, but do they actually mean the same thing? For me, when I describe my goals, they tend to be more achievable and realistic. For example, I would say that going to college is a goal of mine, rather than a dream. Dreams, on the other hand, seem to be more fantasized or unlikely to happen. Some of my dreams include traveling around the world or going skydiving. In The Great Gatsby , Fitzgerald purposely characterizes Gatsby’s desire to be with Daisy as a dream than a goal. We see that as Gatsby reunites with Daisy and becomes updated on where she is in life, he finds more obstacles getting in the way of his dream. He sees Daisy’s child and Nick doesn’t think that “he had ever really believed in its existence before” because he “[keeps] looking at the child with surprise”. He wants Daisy to tell Tom that she “never loved him” and as much as he wanted her to confirm that it was the truth, he soon finds out that she actuall...

A common theme that we see in not only books but also on a daily basis: hypocrisy. Although some people don’t like to admit it, we are all hypocritical beings and this fact does not change so simply. In The Great Gatsby , the narrator, Nick, claims that he is “inclined to reserve all judgements” and therefore, stands out from the rest in a positive way due to his “unique” mindset. We quickly realize a few paragraphs later, however, that he isn’t the person he claims to be. He shares his opinions of his neighbor, Gatsby, and we see that he has not only analyzed Gatsby’s personality but also his surroundings and “predators”. The hypocrisy we see in Nick leads us to think that he is flawed and unreliable, but to be honest, we are all like this; we allow ourselves to judge others without looking into our own hearts to see if we are similar in any way. I think the reason for our hypocrisy when it comes to judgement is that we like to think we are better people than we actually are. In re...