Great Gatsby also known as The Bae across the Bay

@Sam-hi4ce

4 жыл бұрын

i have never hated anything more. good work

@lukeloobey

2 жыл бұрын

The Bae Bay?

@archertheo6898

2 жыл бұрын

i know im randomly asking but does someone know a trick to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me

@jaxonabraham9931

2 жыл бұрын

@Archer Theo instablaster =)

@archertheo6898

2 жыл бұрын

@Jaxon Abraham thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

I think Gatsby's love for Daisy is ironic, he hasn't been with her for years, so perhaps, he, like everyone else, is in love with an idea that they think will make them happy. Daisy isn't the promise of status and wealth. She is to Gatsby, what status and wealth are to everyone else

@kikignis

7 жыл бұрын

hi gareth

@ohkay680

6 жыл бұрын

Yeo he even says something like her voice is full of money something along those lines. Gatsby I believe is more so in love with the idea of Daisy rather than Daisy herself.

@nat4465

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I came to the conclusion that he was more in love with the idea of the ideal life he created in his mind of himself and she seemed to fit perfectly in that dream to him. She was all that was missing. He had a “Platonic conception of himself… So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (Chapter 6)

What is Gatsby's favorite superhero? Green Lantern.

@gdnemec0

9 жыл бұрын

...really...

@brendanbirce4915

9 жыл бұрын

Who is his least favorite? Deadpool.

@leo_8492

9 жыл бұрын

Brendan Birce Dude. Spoiler warning.

@melancholykiller

9 жыл бұрын

Brendan Birce ahaha you are amazing!!Lmao

@abbyensslen4050

8 жыл бұрын

NO.

And then Gatsby gets to use his pool :'(

@scooterbriody2252

8 жыл бұрын

+Erika Petersen I think that perfectly summed up what happens at the end of the book.

@tovekauppi1616

8 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I was like well that's one way to put it... I mean I know he said no spoilers in the beginning but I think he failed on that count anyway

@ImranZakhaev9

8 жыл бұрын

I read the book and even so it sounds like you're referring to Gatsby drowning

As a guy that grew up in extreme poverty, found my opportunity to advance above my station through a combination of networking and military service, I find Gatsby insanely relatable. I myself had to reconcile the realities of my life against the dreams that fueled the advancement in my early 30’s. Having accomplished every childhood dream while also being terribly sad and alone. Gatsby’s death breaks my heart.

Just finished writing an essay on Gatsby, one of my favourite quotes is about the one about Daisy- 'Her voice is full of money'- i think it just materialises the old money background she comes from so precisely and singularly, and it could show that Gatsby ultimately could never be with Daisy because no matter how much he earned he could never have that intrinsic quality about him that Daisy has.

@samrose1980

6 жыл бұрын

I love this analysis - it is one of my favourite quotes too

I just finsihed reading Gatsby, and the one thing that really struck me was Gatsby's profound loneliness. He got fame and money and a following, but only gossipers and curiosity seekers show up for him in the end. It really reminded me of today's search for the 15 Minutes of Fame.

Since I first read Gatsby, I feel in love with it. The imperfect characters,the love, the raw emotions, the pain,and just everything. Though some complain about the characters not being relatable, the overall themes in this book are timeless, much more than any character could ever be. Gatsby may not be the most heroic person but he sure was great.

Legit I watched this just after the crash course episode and the parallels are remarkable xD

@Conorwalkin

8 жыл бұрын

Well when the same person is discussing the same topic they're obviously going to be very similar

Okay, I love the Great Gatsby and have read it more than five times so here's what I think: One of my favorite things to discuss about the Great Gatsby is the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy (even though I pretty much hate everything about Daisy). To me it seemed that when they were younger Gatsby and Daisy really did love each other, however as the years passed and they stopped talking to one another everything twisted. Here's what I mean: I'm gonna compare this to John's book Looking for Alaska (please don't hate me), because of the fact that Gatsby went so many years without speaking to Daisy he ended up doing exactly what Pudge did in LFA. Fantasy twisted into reality and he loved the "idea" of being with Daisy. Therefore, when the reality didn't add up with the fantasy, it sort of sent him teetering off the edge, hence when he lost his temper with Tom. With Daisy it's pretty different. While Gatsby hung on to the idea of Daisy being with him, she ended up moving on. So in a way I believe Daisy did love Gatsby at a certain part of her life, however she couldn't deal with him being gone for so long when he went off to war that eventually she did what any person does when they break up with someone...SHE MOVED ON. She couldn't say she didn't love Tom because she did, yes there's probably still is a part of her that loves Gatsby because you never really forget your first love, but unlike Gatsby she was able to move on from her first ever love and learned to love someone else. (mind you it's a selfish kind of love, but still love). Here's something else to recognize: ALL OF THE CHARACTERS ARE SELFISH IN THE BOOK! That was exactly what Fitzgerald was trying to prove. Yes, Gatsby is probably one of the most redeemable characters in the entire book (or Nick depending on your outlook), but essentially all the motives of each character started with something selfish (except maybe Nick, but why did he get involved in the first place?). Gatsby while his motives were romantic and "heroic" in the end if he ended up with Daisy, it would've been for his benefit and that was Fitzgerald's goal. I would also love to say that I love these kinds of videos from John and Hank because as a reader sometimes you wonder if authors like analyzing stories just as much as they love writing them so it makes me really happy to know that authors love analyzing books just as much as their readers do. :)

@jeniferjoseph9200

7 жыл бұрын

Moviesobsessed97 I don't know if Daisy moved on so much as did what was easy. I don't think she ever really knew what love was, and Gatsby probably didn't either. Hell, I'd argue that Tom and Myrtle have a healthier relationship, and he literally beats her.

@ianfarrugia4495

3 жыл бұрын

I think Nick must have fell into the activities of Tom and the others out of simple bored. That and I guess some morbid curiosity for the goings on of these peoples' lives.

I watched this right after the crash course Gatsby video. you recycled a lot didn't you :)

@someonemstr1

7 жыл бұрын

Christopher Carpenter Yeah pretty much this entire script was a part of the CC video, it makes me wonder if John knew Crash Course Literature would become a thing when he made this video

@guitarwally1

7 жыл бұрын

I think not, but after seeing the enthusiasm in this video, I do think it is no coincidence that 'The Great Gatsby' is the very first book they discuss in Crash Course.

@fatimasalmansiddiqui1182

3 жыл бұрын

Haha same, my thoughts exactly! :D

@umangmalik

3 жыл бұрын

Listen to the anthropocene reviewed episode on it lol

@fatimasalmansiddiqui1182

3 жыл бұрын

@@umangmalik there is an episode on Gatsby?

I don't think Gatsby's quest is heroic. I admire his determination to achieve his goals but his relentless pursuit of Daisy isn't heroism. It reminds me of a tumblr post 'be successful enough so that your celebrity crush will consider you' or something like that. Daisy has become so distorted in Gatsby's mind that she is little more than an ornament to complete his transformation: otherwise he could have happily run off with daisy without the need to get her to say she never loved Tom. He was not heroic in that quest, though his willingness to take the fall for Daisy in the end could be seen to be. But like most of Gatsby's persona, it's wrapped up in so many layers of frontage it's hard to know what his true intentions are

When you mentioned that what we really want is to go back in time to some place when we felt safe, innocent, naive - this portrays the desires of Gatsby as well as Daisy's wishes for her daughter's destiny (to be a little beautiful fool - in order to feel safe and secure and be ignorant - by lacking intelligence - of the concept of corruption).

Kurt Vonnegut's Rules for Writing #2: Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

@craigtrautman1690

7 жыл бұрын

I think Nick the narrator serves this role, being the common straight man who is introduced to these people and experiences along with us.

@lancewang4923

4 жыл бұрын

@@craigtrautman1690 Nick is a bland, thoughtless robot. He's described as honest, but he's just more indecisively, robotically stupid than honest. He hardly participates in the drama. As the middleman, he could have intervened and prevented Gatsby from pushing Daisy too far to admit she "never loved Tom". Nick isn't likeable. He's an invisible character made for the sake of telling the story. He's just pushed around by other characters for the sake of the reader getting introduced to other characters.

@manekakapoor1612

2 жыл бұрын

Nick Carraway

I don't think Gatsby was heroic. He didn't save anyone, anything, or even himself. Out of all the characters, he was the most genuine, but heroic isn't an adjective i'd use to describe Gatsby. He's a dreamer. His goal was to break up a marriage so he could be with Daisy. That's not heroic, but Fitzgerald romanticizes Gatsby's quest in the same way Gatsby romanticizes having Daisy.

@2pacsbandana70

7 жыл бұрын

MsBlushing24 you ma'am are fucking beautiful 😍💕

@jeniferjoseph9200

7 жыл бұрын

MsBlushing24 I actually don't think he was romanticizing it. Our author insert Nick clearly disagrees with his plan, asking him whether he thought he could bring back the past. It's clear even that Nick doesn't even like Gatsby all that much, though for whatever reason he continued to help and butt in.

@jeniferjoseph9200

7 жыл бұрын

MsBlushing24 I actually don't think he was romanticizing it. Our author insert Nick clearly disagrees with his plan, asking him whether he thought he could bring back the past. It's clear even that Nick doesn't even like Gatsby all that much, though for whatever reason he continued to help and butt in.

and then gatsby finally got to use his pool. epic.

This is exactly like the Crash Course episode

@hfollman98

8 жыл бұрын

+Dakota Hayes It's like the words are exactly the same! I came here directly from that video (I'm on a Gatsby binge, don't judge :P) and I thought the same thing! :D

@maireadzielinski8037

8 жыл бұрын

+TheUnfaithfulWanderer Was just about to comment this, its so similar, word for word! I'm also on a Gatsby binge, having an exam on it soon and watching videos is a good way to feel like your revising when your really not doing any hard work😂

Gatsby is not so much a hero but a part of us. There is something so relatable about his character. His wants and desires are so very human.

hearing a writer talk about books is one of the best things the Internet has to offer

In a certain sense, I identify Gatsby as a classical hero. He's an amazing person, someone who came from nothing and became everything. He has money, power, influence, everything material that Americans desire. His weakness is the femme fatale, his sentimentalism and love for Daisy. It's what kills Gatsby, for trying to reach too far and being destroyed. American society is romantic in it's nature. Materialism seems like everything, we need more and more, we have a desire to end at the top. When we reach for something of true meaning, it's perhaps too far or too demanding. We reach for it, ignorant it will ruin, yet we still do. Our ambitions are too great, almost delusional. It's like all the consumerism is the foul dust. Past the materialism, money and all, is meaning, something we despise and are utterly alone in obtaining something that doesn't have a price tag on it.

It's really kind of pleasing to watch John's progress with the tfios signing. I mean I know he's already done but it still make me happy

@ccubed215

10 жыл бұрын

Even watching it backwards haha

I think that Gatsby is heroic, in the way that heroes and legendary characters of the ancient world were heroic. He isn't heroic for being virtuous, or having pure motives. Quite the opposite. He is a tragic hero who is undone by his shortsightedness. His tunnel vision and his narrowly focused goals were his downfall. He achieved great wealth for all the wrong reasons, even if love was a better reason than simple greed. You could almost say he's like Achilles, only his Achilles heel is irrational fixation on Daisy. He suffered from hubris, and failed in his quest.

"And then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool." A beautiful way to describe it, John. A beautiful, haunting, and sweet way to look at it.

I'm here because I have my English Literature exam on The Great Gatsby tomorrow. Thanks John for making revision slightly more bearable!

@grantbuxton2380

4 жыл бұрын

Caitlin Robin how did you go?

This makes me want to read the Great Gatsby again ahhhhhhhh

I'd like to say thanks for this video on behalf of my English literature class for some great points!

No one can quickly summarize and then critically analyze this great novel in less than 7 minutes but John.

Thou hast made us for thy glory, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee ~ Augustine

There is simply no way that Gatsby is anything but heroic. This is because he has the audacity to dream, and even though he has built up this huge façade and is really pretending to be someone else (essentially), he has the audacity to dream and isn't that just the most admirable thing?! Because we are truly vulnerable when we reveal our dreams because they are so intrinsically us. And also, his love for Daisy, although it is admittedly misplaced and exaggerated, still strikes us as incredibly true and unwavering. Despite his flaws he is so himself and so worthy because he does everything in the pursuit of something noble - love, and perhaps, the innocence he has lost for Daisy.

@craigtrautman1690

7 жыл бұрын

Dreaming is all that we really can do in life that can't be limited by the nature of the world, but what makes it so stark and sobering about Gatsby's tale is how dreams not only truly exist separate from reality but in trying to form reality into a dream, there will always be imperfections with it and just to make anything at all you have to give parts up. Would you trade the image you always imagined for some degree of acceptable satisfaction and substance, or have it all be as you postured with all the things and details but with a hollowed sense. The most fragile and uncertain thing in the book are lives and the dreams that push them, and while we try to work with what we have, guys like Gatsby and Wilson can have all of it break when they're faultless. The book shows us how the real dream shown here, the American Dream, is no different

@leikaehr6286

6 жыл бұрын

I understand you, but perhaps consider that there is also bravery in accepting the past and what happened in the past cannot always be recreated. And hoping for the best thing for the future is what all of us do, so I do not think that that is what made Gatsby 'heroic.'

@justina7639

6 жыл бұрын

In my opinion, Gatsby is not a hero, because everything he does is the opposite of heroic. Heroes become heroes by beating their own natural drives, they do what they do in spite of love or fear or the aversion to physical pain. And all that Gatsby does is succumbing to every one of his drives immediately, he is like a child running after the glittery things without ever thinking, persuaded that just because he wants something, he has a right to get it.

@lancewang4923

4 жыл бұрын

Here's my simple short take. Hero = someone that saves people. Technically, Gatsby saved Daisy by being falsely perceived as Mrs. Wilson's murderer, so that Mr. Wilson killed him for revenge. However, Gatsby isn't a hero for that, because he didn't willingly take the blame. It was Tom that deceived Mr. Wilson. Secondly, Gatsby had it coming since he pushed Daisy too far by forcing her to admit she never loved Tom. Gatsby orchestrated his own death and saved no one, because he was selfish.

@ianfarrugia4495

3 жыл бұрын

@@lancewang4923 I'd have to disagree with you that a literary hero is someone that saves people

Alaska Young is the Daisy Buchanan of Looking For Alaska. Minus the lust for material things.

@kathleenmusiak1369

6 жыл бұрын

YESSSSSSSS so happy someone else thinks this!

@vlogbrothers My english literature teacher took you as a credible source in my notes... and I got extra credit for being a nerd fighter who loves Fitzgerald. Woohoo!

His quest is heroic in a way that he strives to capture his long-awaited dream! He hopes in an illusion filled future of reaching his green light goal. But even though it is an illusion, he still believes in his hopes and dreams and doesn't give up which is something we all need to introspect on ourselves.

taught me more in 10 minutes than I've ever learnt from my a level teacher this whole year, so yeah thanks john

I had a green light I believed in once, but I got over it.

In college my lit professor had a mental breakdown and we ended up spending 3/4 of the semester on The Great Gatsby; but we didn't get to have good in depth discussions. With that said the best line I've heard is "And Gatsby finally gets to use his pool."

You have explained this wonderful novel FAR better than my AP English teacher ever could have. Beauty.

"And then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool." Well that is one way to put it...

Studying The Great Gatsby for A level English Literature and this helps so much!!

I have no ideas for my Gatsby essay. So I search 'Great Gatsby Analysis' in KZread. THEN I FIND JOHN TALKING ABOUT IT AND SAYING SO MANY THINGS AND EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE!

Dear John, Thank you so much for helping me write a paper for my Language arts class.

Gatsby was the one and only Gatsbae, a better bae than Tom could ever Gatsby.

@batblurr13

7 жыл бұрын

nice 😂

Gatsby is a hero for his own, private, almost delusional cause. He made himself "his hero" or to an extent, Daisy's hero. Exclude Daisy form his train of thought, and everything banishes, nothing left. She is his motivation and final objective, Alpha and Omega in a single woman that is blatantly unaware of the pain that she is causing to almost any man that touches her.

When I first watched this, I hadn't read the novel. Now, I love how you saw "Gatsby finally gets to use his pool" in such a way. It amazes me that I knew so little about the actual content of the novel when so many people talk about its greatness in the world around me. :)

We've just spent several months learning about Gatsby for our GCSE's next year, so as much as I appreciate these videos, in order to save myself from not just hating both F Scott Fitzgerald and my english teacher, but also eventually John, I think I'll save watching them for revision before the exams. Seriously, the book is amazing, but if I hear the name Gatsby one more time in the next 3 months I'll scream...

On the whole likeable thing, I actually really do love the Great Gatsby but I think it's more that characters who are unlikeable are frequently unrelatable. I could go and explain how humans have this natural tendency to want to view themselves in a black or white good/evil way and how they can't see themselves as the shade of gray that Daisy and Gatsby and Nick are, and really that we all are, but that's complicated so I will say this I think things are easier with a foil ya know? Like in comedy you stick a straight faced normal-ish person in the show to have the same reaction as the audience because just want to project themselves into everything, and Nick is supposed to be written as that boring foil but he isn't really. I mean he is a little annoying and pretentious but seems totally oblivious to the fact that he is in "it" with the rest of the characters. People can't see themselves or more accurately don't want to see themselves as him. I think this is purposeful like Fitzgerald's saying all the readers are Nick's. We are all in it and yet trying to pretend we are above it. We think we are the normal ones, the foils, but we aren't really; we are in the valley of ashes and TJ's owl eyes can see it. Okay that is all.

@natalienagel6617

2 жыл бұрын

I know this comment is 6 years old but that’s a super interesting insight!

"and then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool" holy shit dude

Dear John, Thank you for writing my book report.

Listening to The Mountain Goats watching Vlogbrothers videos. THIS is an introverts perfect world.

Please do this with other books!!!

this video would have been very helpful if I had watched it before doing that essay on the Great Gatsby and not like an hour after I have finished it like I am now

The thing I love about John Green is that not only is he entertaining, but I can also quote and cite him as a source in my essay. So thank you for being awesome Mr. Green.

Hearing you talk makes me feel motivated, even if I have no idea what you're talking about.

I'm sorry, John, but I need to disagree with you in regards to Daisy. I do not think she is more likable than Tom even if she doesn't come off as obnoxious as he does. Despite Tom's behavior throughout the book, he still displayed a capacity for caring about others, moreso than Daisy anyway. What do I mean by that? Well, for those reading, you might want to stop here if you haven't read the book but... ...for me, it comes down to how Tom and Daisy reacted to the deaths of their respective affairs, Myrtle and Gatsby. When Tom learned what had happened to Myrtle, he CRIED over her demise, showing that his affair was just as much an emotional one as a physical one. With Daisy, we've been lead to think that her story with Gatsby has been purely emotional (at least I don't remember them going to bed. You'll need to forgive me if I've made any errors; it's been years since I've read this book), that he could offer more than that creep, Tom. And yet, after slaughtering Myrtle, not only does she allow Gatsby to take the fall for her without confessing what had really happened, but when Gatsby died she doesn't even give any hint of pain over his passing, this despite the fact that she claimed to love him (at this point, I'm starting to wonder if she ever really knew what love is). For her, life moves on. No remorse. No shame. No pity. No sadness. The same is mostly true with Tom, but at least he had a human relationship of some kind. If he didn't, he wouldn't show sadness either. Tom is a prick, but Daisy is just as bad, if not worse.

@sarahtohme4041

8 жыл бұрын

100 percent

@kitten68mew52

6 жыл бұрын

Lord Gyrus That's not necessarily true because Nick was with Tom when he found out that Myrtle had died. Nick had no way of knowing Daisy's reaction to Gatsby's death and also people grieve differently. Daisy could've just been grieving internally.

@chicox3me

6 жыл бұрын

I know about the peculiarities of book interpretations but there are some that are objectively wrong. This is one of them

@allyli1718

5 жыл бұрын

Yo Tom also hit Myrtle and verbally abused her. I’d say they’re equally dislikable; though Daisy may just grieve differently.

@JacobMeza-pro-footballer

4 жыл бұрын

What about when she became an emotional wreck when Gatsby sent her a letter before her marriage and the time she fought to say goodbye to him before he left for the war?

Just thinking about Gatsby, what if Owl Eyes is T.J. Eckleburg? We never learn his name, but know he has big eyes and glasses. He was the only other person to show at Gatsby's funeral, despite never being told he died. Just speculation though.

@Anybol

8 жыл бұрын

Well, they're definitely related. The giant eyes are a symbol for God, or at least some kind of ultimate observer. Since Owl Eyes is defined by his eyes, he is an extension of that symbol. I personally see him as maybe another aspect of the Ultimate Observer. The giant eyes of the billboard and vast and unknowable, and they see Gatsby at the pivotal moment in his life, when he has come as close as he ever will to realizing his dream. Owl Eyes sees Gatsby before and after the dream, at smaller moments, so to speak, and so his eyes are smaller. I dunno if that's right, but it's my two cents.

@temitopeoketikun1379

5 жыл бұрын

this kinda creeps me out

watching you guys have a mini reunion was probably the best thing I've seen in the past month

so i am reading this book currently and when john talked about the yellow stuff i am reminded of a part where nick describes the MUSIC coming from the pit orchestra as yellow and wow i never noticed all this stuff!

Gatsby's quest is so remarkably unheroic it's almost nauseating. He is frankly stupid for being so short sighted and he's basically wearing blinders throughout the whole book. I'm not denying that Gatsby was enterprising and perhaps even brave but we should never confuse bravery with heroism because heroism constitutes someone being saved and Gatsby couldn't even save himself.

@davidsconnelly2613

4 жыл бұрын

Gatsby saved Nick from disillusionment.

Gatsby's quest was definitely heroic. It was a classic quest for love, to save the woman he loved from the clutches of another who has taken her from him against his will. He worked hard, had experiences and set out on this journey and reached his goal, but being a hero, he died a hero's death. On the cusp of his dreams, before it all crumbled from him no longer reaching for it but finally grabbing it and having nothing else to look forward to. He died happy and succeeded in his quest for love.

John green you amaze me, you just covered like half the book in four minutes and I got more from that than 4 months of being taught about this book at school. Thank you :)

Was looking for a good review for this book because I recently got my copy and am about to start reading it and then I came across a vlogbrothers vid with the same review. John and Hank, you really are perfect! Thank you!

I've watched the movie and have been wanting to read the book ever since, but this just makes me want to read it more. #dreams

@emmaishere8000

9 жыл бұрын

We share dreams.

@AmritaMohan

9 жыл бұрын

Wanting to read the book? :)

@emmaishere8000

9 жыл бұрын

Yup!!

@AmritaMohan

9 жыл бұрын

:D

@emmaishere8000

9 жыл бұрын

:')

Everything Gatsby did was essentially for daisy. Whether he thought of this as heroic or whether this was just part of gatsbys normal life, we can never really know. I think Daisy made Gatsby blind and deluded or maybe her love and teasing did this too, which doesn't make Gatsby's act heroic in his eyes, but clearly in nicks. Nick fell in love with the idea of Gatsby and how he was so different from Tom and Daisy and to him he truly was a hero. To me? No. I think that what he did may have been heroic from some points of view but he was driven to it by the idea of creating himself again and making Daisy love him and only him.

@deathhallow911

8 жыл бұрын

+Andrew “Covarr” Covarrubias My whole idea was that Gatsby's actions weren't heroic or romantic in the sense that he loved Daisy and wanted to make her happy, because I am fully aware that Gatsby did everything to have a irretrievable possession over Daisy, like he once did when they were younger. He even says "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"

@deathhallow911

8 жыл бұрын

+Andrew “Covarr” Covarrubias I never said that Gatsby loved Daisy. Yes I said everything he did was for her, which was maybe a little inaccurate and ambiguous but he did everything to have her, took the blame for murdering myrtle, so you can't say that wasn't for her. Yes it was more so for him (to keep Daisy from harm so he could have her) but that's they key bit: keeping Daisy from harm.

His energy is something i thought i would never see as a newer viewer

I love how passionate you two are.

Go, John, Go! :D

I love The Great Gatsby too and I've watched all your videos on it, including Crash Course. I know you don't like to discuss the author's purpose, but don't you think the connection between Daisy and Zelda Fitzgerald merits a mention? I would love to hear more about your take on women during the 1920s and how Daisy compares to reality.

John Green passionately yells at a camera as he analyzes a classic novel in six minutes seemingly off the cuff and it’s a million times better than whatever I will produce in a thoroughly edited word document with hours of intense thought and labor behind it. The Green brothers’ level of intellect is a wonder to me. I just feel fortunate that I’m smart enough to be able to comprehend the knowledge and wisdom that they share. I hope that one day I’ll be smart enough to think about things as intricately as they can.

Goosbumps. Love you John!

Personally I think in most discussions about the Great Gatsby people are too loose with the term "love". Actual real love is not present anywhere. Love has two components to it: it is have strong/intense romantic feelings for another person coupled with genuinely valuing the other person's happiness above your own. The second aspect tends to get neglected not just in discussions about The Great Gatsby but in most discussions and representations of love (The only place I personally have ever see this aspect of love addressed is in the first Futurama movie, Bender's Big Score). Gatsby's feelings for Daisy may be strong but the fact that it isn't enough for him to get Daisy back alone is more than enough proof that he does not truly love her. Having her love him shouldn't just be enough it should be more than enough. If she had been happy with Tom, which she wasn't but if she was, that alone should have been enough.

I feel like it's sacrilegious for me to say this but, I really didn't like The Great Gatsby at all. I was excited to read it and then once I started it was torture. Took me forever to finish it because I couldn't stand more than 5 pages at a time. The best part was the end (not because it was the end) but because of the "twist" that was in it. But I feel like Fitzgerald ended the book perfectly. It was a realistic ending in terms of how the characters go about their lives once it's over.

@moviemadness2009

10 жыл бұрын

I would agree with your arguments. I read it in school, but it was so over my head it really made no sense to me. But now that I understand it, I think it should be studied from s sociological standpoint, because these characters and their interactions are interesting.

@BrentWigginsWords

10 жыл бұрын

I can accept your disposition but when you look at it, isn't that novel a reflection of what were living today? A sad indicator from the voices of literature.

@moviemadness2009

10 жыл бұрын

I suppose it is in some regards. There goes society... Womp.

@BrentWigginsWords

10 жыл бұрын

It's a notice; wake up America! You're rotting from the core, slowly but surely.

Honestly one of the best reviews of this book I've ever had the privilege to hear, and that includes all the years of high school spent forced to study it. Bravo on the lack of spoilers too (although the book has been out for 90 years, so..)

Finished reading the book, immediately came to watch this video. "And then Gatsby finally got to use his pool," totally got to me, John. I felt the whole weight of the book on me.

I think Jordan is pretty likable...

@hfollman98

8 жыл бұрын

+Sofia Briody Jordan's surface glamour serves to hide an inner emptiness; her character served as a representation of the hollowness of the upper class.

@hfollman98

8 жыл бұрын

+TheUnfaithfulWanderer In other words, you probably thought of Jordan as likeable because all the other characters were presented as unlikeable and in comparison Jordan was likeable, even though she was kind of just a neutral character representative of the upper class vapidness.

@PinkandNamii

4 жыл бұрын

Oddly, she’s my favorite character.

@jiangciyang3860

2 жыл бұрын

@@hfollman98 i like jordan for all her dishonesties, nick also admires jordan it's because she was one of the rare women who don't need to rely on men to live, that was a great feat in the 1920s

The Great Gatsby is my favorite novel. Though Gatsby is the titular character I don't see him as a hero or even an anti-hero. He's a subject, Nick is the narrator and Gatsby is the subject of his documentary.

You explained the book better to me than any of my English teachers ever could. Thank you, John Green! It makes so much sense now.

This video was so helpful to my understanding of "Gatsby". Thanks, John Green!

Gatsby's quest is both heroic and not heroic. The idea of working your way to a fortune, creating your own identity, and becoming a local legend is one that many people are quite fond of. Gatsby's determination is admirable, and his thirst for more is not a bad thing. It can be seen in a bad light because it becomes obvious with Daisy, but his desire for more can be seen in the party scenes and particularly in the tour of Gatsby's house. His desire to make something of himself is a desire that everyone holds in some way. However, what is Gatsby working for? For what admirable cause did he waste five years of his life? He worked five years for a girl who he may or may not have loved. This girl forgot him when a more suitable option came along. I have severe doubts that Daisy loved Gatsby at all. While Gatsby's quest can appear both heroic and not heroic, it is far more interesting to think about everyone's reaction to Gatsby's quest. Gatsby is a set of pretty clothes that everyone loves, but when a set of clothes goes out to conquer a dream, people are confused. Is my quest heroic? If you glamorize hard work, I suppose it is. Having ambition and achieving goals is over-rated.

John, I loved the insights on this, however I always play devil's advocate when it comes to character analysa, analysises, analyses, [ idk the plural so someone help:) ]. We read Medea the play by Socrates I believe and I vouched for Medea. We read The Crucible by Arthur Miller and I vouched for Abigail. Now in the Great Gatsby, I am vouching for Tom Buchanan. So this wasn't very helpful for me, but was for the rest of my class with whom I had shared this video with. Anyways, my points on Tom Buchanan being the"good guy" are that he is totally in love with Daisy. He does go off and have affairs, but they've stuck with each other throughout each others affairs. They've moved around TOGETHER to be free of affairs and let other people clean up their mess. Rich people don't understand the word "consequences"; therefore, they do whatever and whoever (whomever? I never really learned this) they want. He also never planned on leaving Daisy and vice versa. He told Myrtle that Daisy was Catholic because he didn't want to leave Daisy for Myrtle. Guys are usually really stupid, so they go do whatever they want praying that the girl they love sticks with them. However, that may be biased based on previous relationships and the fact that I am a girl.

@christopherjc54

9 жыл бұрын

#NOPE :P Wonderful...

@Amita23

9 жыл бұрын

This is my best friend. So that's what the "#NOPE" was about

@demerzel3798

9 жыл бұрын

Kathryn Clark I understand how you can vouch for Medea but Abigail is basically hellspawn.

@Amita23

9 жыл бұрын

Jackson Yeager Well, I'm responding straight from memory. I had said that she had a bad childhood. She was basically abandoned by her parents, and she had an adult lover. She needed parental care and nurturing, but she didn't get it. She was also trying to protect herself because she's stuck in the "ID" stage. The "ID" stage is when the child wants immediate gratification, can't determine right from wrong, and do everything they can to make sure they don't get in trouble. She was a troubled child so it wasn't entirely her fault that had her cause the deaths of many people.

@violinpiano444

9 жыл бұрын

Kathryn Clark Playing more devil's advocate, I honestly don't believe Tom is capable of love. In my eyes, he views Daisy as a prize, a possession, and that's what motivates his "feelings" in the hotel room with Gatsby during that argument scene.. He realizes how much competition he has with Gatsby and thus feels this need to out-shine Gatsby (I feel as though this occurs throughout the book many times). Also, I don't think Tom doesn't want to leave Daisy for Myrtle because of his profound love for Daisy. I honestly just believe he won't leave Daisy because she's made of money... a rich man must have a rich wife in his eyes. Myrtle isn't made of money- at least she's married to a man who lives in the Valley of Ashes.. The ash in which can symbolize how the rich dumps on the poor.. leaves them the grayness, the aftermath of a great fire, etc.. I honestly feel that Tom and Daisy for selfish people and justify their actions through their wealth and the poor have to pay for it. However, I see your point I just felt the need to say my argument for Fitzgerald's sake :)

I know it’s 7 years after this video was made, but now I’ve read The Great Gatsby and I like having a better understanding of the book from the point of view of John Green. Thank you for an interesting video about a book I read for school because school definitely makes it seem a lot more boring (maybe because there are no jump cuts)

the great gatsby is one of my favorite books, and this video reminded me of why. you pointed out a few details and some symbolism that i hadn't caught before. one of the best things about that book is how it's not only the literal story that fitzgerald is telling, but also the story of the 1920s and the age of materialism and searching for the american dream.

Omg please make more of these! I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. I have no idea why I never read it sooner.

So i have waited to watch this video until just now, because I wanted to read The Great Gatsby first. And i'm glad I did. John please do these more often! ~Michael

Dear John Green, just to say that I'm studying The Great Gatsby for my English Lit GCSEs (public exams in the UK), and your little analysis really helped me get the bigger picture! Thank you very much indeed- your passion for literature really resounds in this great video :)

I've cited this video in three different school projects this year (english paper on Gatsby, History paper on 1920s, multimedia presentation on KZread) and done well on every single one of them because of all i've learned from it...thank you, John Green, for teaching me more than my AP teachers :)

I am reading this book a second time for a school assignment (it's just as fantastic as the first time around), and I'm pretty sure this video is going to help me impress my teacher a lot. Thanks, John, for making me notice incredibly awesome things in this book that otherwise would have gone over my head.

You are amazing. Your Gatsby videos are saving my whole year of AS English from failing tomorrow!

When we read this in high school, we wanted to make tshirts for it. I was an advocate for making one for the drunk driving scene, because that was the greatest thing I had ever read. I'm glad John and I are on similar planes of thought about this.

John Green, I love you for making this video. I just finished the novel and I have so many feels about it; and this video was the perfect vent for them. Thank you

When I read this book a few years ago, among unbearably boring novels, in high school, it was by far the best out of all the books I read in those 4 years (not including Shakespeare because those are plays). Its messages were so clear and meaningful about love, money, American culture, and the fear of being alone, that from the get-go it was one of my favorite books of all-time, and hearing the same ideas that I thought of in English class in this video makes me love the book that much more.

I have never wanted to read a book more that I do now with The Great Gatsby. Wow.

I just finished this for school and I loved it, but homestly, I think you helped to explain it better. What you said about Gatsby finally using his pool... Oh my God. And the last chapter pretty much made me upset for two full days. It was so sad!!

So I didn't really enjoy reading The Great Gatsby, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing John's analysis of it

Gatsby may have been motivated by Daisy, but he didn't do things for her, he did things to get her attention and then when he got it, she didn't live up to his expectations because he selfishly expected her to be like he had constructed her in his mind. "Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion"

The way you've summarised the Great Gatsby is amazing, spot on on the issue that the world is fixated on an idealised memory of our past, its rather depressing.

John Green, you have yet again proved how brilliant and amazing you are to me because FINALLY I understand Gatsby's love for Daisy and the fuel for this novel, I sort of did before but now I definitely do, thanks to you :)

Thanks John for making me look up and understand the word Conflate once and for all.

The definition of The American Dream he makes from 5:20 - 5:40 instantly reminded me of Citizen Kane.

I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE JOHN GREEN AND THEN I REALIZED AND NOW IM LOSING MY SHIT BECAUSE I HAVE LIKE ALL OF YOUR BOOKS-

Today in my English class we were reading and analyzing the poem The Choice by Dorothy Parker. After we read it for the first time, I raised my hand and said "So it's sort of like Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom in the Great Gatsby?" My teacher grinned, gave me a sticker, and told me I'd make an awesome teacher one day.

I love how John is practically shrieking by the end of this video out of pure enthusiasm about the book