Tennyson, Carlyle And The Tragic Hero Essays - Odyssey, Ulysses

Tennyson, Carlyle And The Tragic Hero The Tragic Hero: Tennyson's Reinvention of the Hero as Poet I AM! yet what I am none cares or knows, My friends forsake me like a memory lost; I am the self-consumer of my woes, They rise and vanish, an oblivious host, Like shades in love and death's oblivion lost; And yet I am! and live with shadows tos't Into the nothingness of scorn and noise, Into the living sea of waking dreams, Where there is neither sense of life nor joys, But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteems; And e'en the dearest--that I loved the best-- Are strange--nay, rather stranger than the rest. - John Clare1 There is no more enduring theme in the truly Western body of literature, religion, and philosophy than that of the hero. Western thought apotheosizes the hero and the act of heroism. This practice is rooted in the heroic ages, where, as in the Iliad, the heroes of both sides have unique access to the gods and goddesses. The hero is the man who transcends with dirt under his fingernails and the dust of battle in his throat. He transcends through the savage wilds of Nature. In the West, too, the hero is known not only for physical skill or bravery, but also for inculcation of mental qualities, for cultivation of a superior sense of insight, a Higher vision and comprehension. Thomas Carlyle revives and revisits the ancient concepts of the hero and the heroic. Heroes have evolved into two hypothetically universal forms: the Hero as Man of Letters2, and the Hero as Poet 3. The Man of Letters and the Poet are closely linked in form, but exist as separate heroes. The Man of Letters transcends his socially imposed and self-imposed limitations, and the binding force of personal needs and wants. This hero is simply the best of Nature and is not thought to transcend it. The Man of Letters is genuine, and will be found discharging a function for us which is ever honourable, ever the highest;4 . The Man of Letters's purpose is to know and to teach a Divine Idea of the World5 . The Hero as Man of Letters brings its era what it requires: non religious guidance to a public whose social facets wane in spirituality. Carlyle's hero is that of National Socialism, a person of ideals who lives in transcendence, who seeks to learn, to teach, to change, not simply to exist an d know. It far from being the province only of someone in the profession of war. Alternately, The Hero as Poet is recognized as divine or as having a connection with the divine, not entirely unlike the Hero as Man of Letters, who is shaped by Nature and is innately and unconsciously sincere, incapable of being anything but unaffected. The Hero as Poet exists on a higher plane of existence, a person who belongs to all ages6 , capable of discerning the truth of existence, a truth that exists in all ages, rather than transcends with the era. Here we see a distinct split in Carlyle's Hero as Man of Letters and Hero as Poet. The Hero as Poet is demi-divine, fundamentally linked with Nature's secrets, to the gods, to the spiritual and that truth which eternally exists. He is divinely inspired. The Hero as Man of Letters, the layman, explores new truths and changes with time, bringing new ideas to society, changing it, moving it forward. The Hero as Poet exists for all time, whereas there is a Man of Letters for each time. Carlye seeks to invent heroes relevant to his era, for Victorian society. The Victorian Era wanes in ecclesiastical belief and experiences a desire to move forward rather than reflect on the past. This society suffers the death of antiquated heroes and a connection with the spiritual/supernatural. Victorians were concerned with material progress, not spiritual. Carlyle cannot overstate his certainty that each age needs a hero, someone to inspire, to lead a society to change and growth. Heroes emerge in a time of crisis, when they are needed most, and according to Carlyle, the Hero as Poet is the best suited for this age. The Victorians are separating the secular

The History and Geography of Greenland

The History and Geography of Greenland Greenland  is a located between the Atlantic and  Arctic  Oceans, and although it is technically a part of the North American continent, historically it has been linked with European countries like Denmark and Norway. Today, Greenland is considered an  independent territory  within the Kingdom of Denmark, and as such, Greenland is dependent on Denmark for the majority of its gross domestic product. By area, Greenland is distinctive in that it is the worlds  largest island,  with an area of 836,330 square miles (2,166,086 square kilometers). It is not a continent, but due to its large area and the relatively small population of 56,186 people, Greenland is also the most sparsely populated country in the world. Greenlands largest city, Nuuk, also serves as its capital. Its one of the worlds smallest capital cities, with a population of only 17,984 as of 2019.  All of Greenlands cities are built along the 27,394-mile coastline because it is the only area in the country that is ice-free. Most of these cities are also along Greenlands west coast because the northeastern side is comprised of the Northeast Greenland National Park. History of Greenland Greenland is thought to have been inhabited since prehistoric times by various Paleo-Eskimo groups; however, specific archaeological research does show the Inuit entering Greenland around 2500 B.C., and  it wasnt until A.D. 986 that European settlement and exploration started, with Norwegians and Icelanders settling on Greenlands west coast. These first settlers were eventually known as the  Norse Greenlanders, though it wasnt until the 13th century that Norway took them over, and subsequently entered into a union with Denmark. In 1946, the  United States  offered to buy Greenland from Denmark but the country refused to sell the island. In 1953, Greenland officially became a part of the Kingdom of Denmark and in 1979, Denmarks Parliament gave the country powers of home rule. In 2008, a referendum for greater independence on Greenlands part was approved, and in 2009 Greenland took over the responsibility of its own government, laws, and natural resources. In addition, Greenlands citizens were recognized as a separate culture of people, even though Denmark still controls Greenlands defense and  foreign affairs. Greenlands current  head of state is Denmarks queen, Margrethe II, but the Prime Minister of Greenland is Kim Kielsen, who serves as the head of the countrys autonomous government. Geography, Climate, and Topography Because of its very high latitude, Greenland has an arctic to a subarctic  climate  with cool summers and very cold winters. For example its capital, Nuuk, has an average January low temperature of 14 F (-10 C) and an average July high of just 50 F (9.9 C); because of this, its citizens can practice very little agriculture and most of its products are forage crops, greenhouse vegetables, sheep, reindeer, and fish, and Greenland mostly relies on imports from other countries. Greenlands topography is mainly flat but there is a narrow mountainous coast, with the highest point on the islands tallest mountain, Bunnbjà ¸rn Fjeld, which towers over the island nation at 12,139 feet. Additionally, most of Greenlands land area is covered by an ice sheet  and two-thirds of the country is subject to permafrost. This massive ice sheet found in Greenland is important to climate change and has made the region popular among scientists who have worked to drill ice cores in order to understand how the Earths climate has changed over time; also, because the country is covered with so much ice, it has the potential to significantly raise  sea levels  if the ice were to melt with  global warming.

Beliefs In The Existence Of Ghosts And Poltergeists Term Paper

Beliefs In The Existence Of Ghosts And Poltergeists - Term Paper Example Saul was inclined to fits and visions, and perhaps in this instance, all that happened was that his imagination took over at a time when he was desperate. The prediction wasn’t even totally correct, although Saul would die at the hand of the Philistines – but that is likely to have happened anyway he was so disheartened. Webster’s Dictionary defines a ghost as being ‘a spirit or a demon, a disembodied soul.’ believed to be an inhabitant of an unseen world. Kipling, whose son died in the Ist World War and who might well have wanted contact with him, is warning people to leave well alone. The ghost of Samuel is not, of course, the only well known literary ghost. In the Odyssey, Homer describes how Circe advises Odysseus to consult the spirits of the dead. ( Odyssey 11 v 23-28.) There is also Hamlet’s father in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Banquo in his Macbeth., the ghosts being devices to explain a character’s inner feelings or move the story on. ‘Whethering Heights’ by Emily Brontà © ( 1847) has its Kathy clawing at the windows. Dickens, of course, had Marley appearing to Scrooge ( A Christmas Carol, 1843), one of the few instances in literature where some good resulted. In modern-day films, we have the Ghostbusters and of course the Harry Potter films, both of which show ghosts as being evil things, although J.K. Rowling also portrays more gentle beings such as Harry’s parents. In C.S. Lewis’s ‘The Great Divorce’ (1945) the author describes ghosts who have to choose whether to give up their sins and go to he aven or whether they prefer to retain them and go to hell. Stevie Smith in her 1953 poem ‘ Not waving but drowning’ has the dead man explaining his predicament.

Blog 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blog 1 - Essay Example His work is important because he invites readers to think about the definition of the â€Å"barbarian† and how this affected international politics. From International Relations in Political Thought by Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002), â€Å"The History of the Peloponnesian War† aimed to faithfully narrate the causes and events of the Peloponnesian War. Boucher (1998) presented his analysis of empirical realism through â€Å"Chapter 4: Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War.† These authors have college students, who are studying politics and international history, as their audiences. Their works are important because they provide different perspectives in analyzing political history works. My question involves enthnocentricism and realism. Is ethnocentricism the main root of realism? If Spartans and the Athenians interacted more as a one cultural community, would they have avoided these anxieties against each other? Ethnocentricism is about one culture thinking that their cultural system is better than others, and it is one of the primary causes of realist thought in the Peloponnesian War. It is interesting that ancient Greeks were like the ancient Egyptians; they were colorblind in terms of their discrimination. Instead of racism, they practiced Greek-centricism, where they believed that their culture was superior to others. Keene (2005) maintained: â€Å"Blood, language, religion and custom†¦are the foundations of Greek Hellenic identity, and it is accordingly along these axes that the identity of the barbarian is conceived† (p.27). The Greeks saw themselves as the â€Å"better† race, while foreigners were seen as â€Å"barbarians.† The â€Å"Other† has become a form of Orientalism, a way of denigrating and fearing what is not known. Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002) noted the words of Thucydides, who believed that the causes of the Peloponnesian War are: â₠¬Å"growth of Athenian power and the fear which is caused in

Gender Bias In Education Education Essay

Gender Bias In Education Education Essay At the heart of the gender bias conundrum are questions of male marginalization, stereotypes and gender identity and female subordination. These concepts will be explored throughout this paper as the basis for gender dialogue. At one of the spectrum is a gendered curricula and at the other end teaching. Studies on gender in the Caribbean has focused largely on issues surrounding gender differential curricula and access(on students more than teachers)This paper focuses is an attempt at both sides. Gender can be defined as set of behaviours, roles and positions which can be socially and culturally attributed to men and women. Gender is constantly shaped through social and cultural experiences which are expressed through the attitudes, value and behavioural characteristic of interpersonal intereaction.(2002, Leo-Rhynie and Pencle). The gender process is a difficult one which commences at birth and is continuously reinforced throughout life. The idiosyncracies demonstrated by gendered groups in society has implications for the identities adolescents develop and to a large extent determine the careers and lifestyles chosen. Gender bias implies some form of preference, inclination and prejudice for one sex over another. Education (that is access, enrolment, participation, performance and achievement) emerges as the arena in which both academic analyses and popular perception locate male marginalization.(2003,Barriteau, p.326). Feminist theorists like Sadker (1994) believe that whilst girls and boys sit in the same classrooms, using the same books, listening to the same teacher, they receive different education. In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994) However, discrepancies between the performance of girls and the performance of boys in elementary education leads some critics to argue that boys are being neglected within the education system: It is no wonder Errrol Miller posited his maginalization thesis indicating the biases that existed in education and gender socialization However, if it is that males are marginalzed leading to fewer graduates from secondary and tertiary institutions;how is it possible that they are the ones selected for executive positions?Central to this discourse is the concern that men are missing from the higher echelons of the family, classroom and laborforce.(2006, Lindsay). Schools serve as an important agent of socialization in society. There are gendered rules and regulations that are reinforced in schools.Teachers play a pivotal role in accepting behavior that are socially appropriate and rejecting the inappropriate ones. Their roles serveas models in creating gender identity. In a study of British schools (1988,Mahoney) noted that giles had already started practicing their secretarial role for their male counterparts, as they were expected by the boys to provide eraser, ruler and writing materials. In one classroom a boy left his seat and walked across the room to have his bandage fixed by a girl. This provided practice for boys to dominate and the girls to find strategies of resistence. Pencle(1994) observed the sexual division of labour in one jamaican classroom where girls were assigned indoor duties of sweeping and dusting while boys ran errands outside and lifted furniture. From an early age gender stereotypes were instituted in childrens lives by the various agents of socialization(church, family and school responsible for educating boys and girls. Literature is another area where the reinforcement of stereotpical views are orchestrated and administered. According to Pencle Leo-Rhynie (2003), textbooks à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦provides an inaccurate view of society to young people, a view which devalues the role of women.(p.204).They further cited research done by King and Morrisey(1988) whose examination of contemporary text history, geography and social studies utilized by teachers and students in preparation of the Caribbean Council Examinations(CXC); concluded that these books reinforced conventional societal views of patriarchy and male domination. The language in the books did not include women and exhibited them as playing passive, subordinate and menial roles. Additionally, Whitely(1994) ananlysed Integrated science books used in lower grades of Jamaican schools. He discovered that considerable male bias in these texts and questioned the influence it had on girls choice of studying science. Pencle and Leo-Rhynie asserted that the programmes pursued by girls reveal and obvious attraction to the helping professions such as teaching and nursing. Education has been considered as the key vechicle of mobility and social change in the Caribbean. Thus, education is a tool of persuausion and has been instrumental in gender role socialization and thus gender identity. Teachers have played an enormous role in the process so much so that the historiography over the last 30 years have given much attention to what is coined as the feminization of the teaching profession (Downes, 2003, p.303). Errol Millers Marginalisation of the Black Male and later Men At Risk was an empirical analysis of schools teachers in Jamaica in the period 1837 to 1990. Millers underlying thesis is that men have a right to the resources of the state and society over and above women. Many theorist have labeled Millers thesis as flawed as male marginality has stemmed from gender biased methodology rather than from reality. Lindsay, 1997). She believes that the marginalization thesis is a reinforce of the age old patriarchal mandate that women are a inferior and l esser being. Barritean(2003, p350) ciites Chevannes, whose work on coeducation and performance contradict many of Millers assertions of male performance, underachievement and education. Chevannes conclude that there are biases operating in the selection of certain subjects as opposed to others, and there is no evidence to suggest that girls routinely out perform boys, but ample evidence of gender performance both ways in specific subject areas. At very early ages, girls begin defining their femininities in relation to boys. One study of a third grade classroom examined four self-sorted groups of girls within the classroom: the nice girls, the girlies, the spice girls and the tomboys. Through interviews researcher Diane Reay found that nice girls was considered a derogatory term indicating, an absence of toughness and attitude. (Reay, 2001) Furthermore, the girlies were a group of girls who focused their time on flirting with and writing love letters to boys, the tomboys were girls who played sports with the boys, and the spice girls espoused girl-power and played rate-the-boy on the playground. Reays research shows that each of the groups of girls defined their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001) The Reay study further demonstrates how socialization of girls occurs at the school level by tolerating different behaviors from boys than from girls. Assertive behavior from girls is often seen as disruptive and may be viewed more negatively by adults. In Reays study, the fact that the spice girls asserted themselves in ways contrary to traditional femininity caused them to be labeled by teachers as real bitches. (2001) This reinforces the notion that girls misbehavior to be looked upon as a character defect, whilst boys misbehavior is viewed as a desire to assert themselves. (Reay, 2001) Clearly the socialization of gender is reinforced at school, Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms. (Marshall, 1997) Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom. In Myra and David Sadkers research, they noted four types of teacher responses to students: teacher praises, providing positive feedback for a response; teacher remediates, encouraging a student to correct or expand their answer; teacher criticizes, explicitly stating that the answer is incorrect; teacher accepts, acknowledging that a student has responded. The Sadkers found that boys were far more likely to receive praise or remediation from a teacher than were girls. The girls were most likely to receive an acknowledgement response from their teacher. (Sadker, 1994) These findings are confirmed by a 1990 study by Good and Brophy that noted that teachers give boys greater opportunity to expand ideas and be animated than they do girls and that they reinforce boys more for general responses than they do for girls. (Marshall, 1997) Gender bias is also taught implicitly through the resources chosen for classroom use. Using texts that omit contributions of women, that tokenize the experiences of women, or that stereotype gender roles, further compounds gender bias in schools curriculum. While research shows that the use of gender-equitable materials allows students to have more gender-balanced knowledge, to develop more flexible attitudes towards gender roles, and to imitate role behaviors contained in the materials (Klein, 1985) schools continue to use gender-biased texts: Once teachers have recognized their gender-biased behaviors, they need to be provided with resources to help them change. In their study focusing on how the effects of a gender resource model would affect gender-biased teaching behaviors, Jones, Evans, Burns, and Campbell (2000) provided teachers with a self-directed module aimed at reducing gender bias in the classroom. The module contained research on gender equity in the classroom, specific activities to reduce stereotypical thinking in students, and self-evaluation worksheets for teachers. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that female students would move from a position of relative deficiency toward more equity in total interactions. (Jones, 2000) This demonstrates that teachers who are made aware of their gender-biased teaching behaviors and then provided with strategies and resources to combat bias are better able to promote gender equity in their classrooms. However, beyond changing their own teaching behaviors, teachers need to be aware of the gender bias imbedded in many educational materials and texts and need to take steps to combat this bias. Curriculum researchers have established six attributes that need to be considered when trying to establish a gender-equitable curriculum. Gender-fair materials need to acknowledge and affirm variation. They need to be inclusive, accurate, affirmative, representative, and integrated, weaving together the experiences, needs, and interests of both males and females. (Bailey, 1992) We need to look at the stories we are telling our students and children. Far too many of our classroom examples, storybooks, and texts describe a world in which boys and men are bright, curious, brave, inventive, and powerful, but girls and women are silent, passive, and invisible. (McCormick, 1995) Furthermore, teachers can help students identify gender-bias in texts and facilitate critical discussions as to why that bi as exists. Departments of education should be providing mandatory gender-equity resource modules to in-service teachers, and gender bias needs to be addressed with all pre-service teachers. Educators need to be made aware of the bias they are reinforcing in their students through socialization messages, inequitable division of special education services, sexist texts and materials, and unbalanced time and types of attention spent on boys and girls in the classroom. Until educational sexism is eradicated, more than half our children will be shortchanged and their gifts lost to society. (Sadker, 1994). With the emergence of feminist movements and human rights groups, steps have been taken to address gender bias, a historical bias that has pervaded humanity for centuries. The creation and utilization of gender neutral terms and the entrance of men in tradionally females roles and women in male roles has been greeted with mixed feelings. There is still much to be done to correct the imbalance, a st ep which will require the merging and coming together of many social groups that have defiantly kept the barriers.

But these things also – Edward Thomas

Things Also ‘But these things also' brings â€Å"to the centre of attention what has previously overlooked†, as Judy Kendall writes. Thomas explores his fascination with the unimportant in this poem and looks at the connection and merging together of Spring and Winter. Much like his other poetry, here, Thomas struggles to put his finger on precisely what he means. This Is shown by his Inability to separate and distinguish between the two seasons.The poem begins with the first two lines focusing on Spring, however, by allowing this with two lines focusing on Winter, Thomas explodes our first expectations of usual ‘spring poetry of bright and beautiful Images. Instead, he catches the limbo between the two seasons and we are presented with the Idea of the grass being long dead' and ‘greyer now. This pessimistic tone Is not what one usually connotes with springtime, but with the cold and bleak winter. By putting the images of the two seasons so close together in this stanza, Thomas reinforces his presentation of their connection.The last line of the stanza, than all the winter it as', changes the natural syntax of the words. The stress focuses of ‘it was', emphasizing what has past, which creates a sense of longing, introducing the idea that, like in ‘March', Thomas is desperate to find the key' the last two lines of the first stanza finish with the words ‘now and ‘was', bringing together images of the movement of time and emphasizing the gap between the present and the past and importantly, Thomas focus on that gap.The second stanza uses instance to look at things, which are seemingly unimportant. These things show the remains of winter, therefore connecting the seasons further. Once again, Thomas alters the syntax of the words to create a more beautified image. ‘ The word ‘bleached' would usually have a much more negative connotation of fading and perhaps even the loss of hope, however By placing the wo rd at the end of the first line and after the word ‘little' he takes away the harshness of the sound and makes it more delicate and gentle.As well as this, Tomato's use of enjambment stresses the soft ‘L' sounds in the shell of the little snail', which further emphasizes the smoothness of the words. Following this, the surreal pause halfway long the second line, highlights the plosive sounds on the image of the ‘chip of flint'. This draws our attention to the minute details, which Thomas considers and accentuates the signs that spring is not quite here yet. By observing nature In this much detail, we see how valuable Thomas considers It to be, It creates a sense that although these things are small and often overlooked, they are significant.The final Image In this stanza is of the ‘purest white' bird dung. At first It appears odd to be beautifying such a thing as bird dung, but by following It with the words ‘purest white, Thomas Introduces an Idea of I nnocence and positively, as well as a contrast with the previous Image of something ‘greyer now'. This brief glimmer of hope however, Is shattered in the next stanza. In stanza three, the image of White' no longer has positive connotations. But it and death.This instantly darkens the tone and the notion of mistaking bird dung for violets presents the idea that Thomas is truly desperate for any indication of springs arrival. The following violent images of Winter's ruins' and Winter's debts' create an oppressive feeling which moves further from the previous idea of hope. Continuing the pattern of Thomas other poetry, the word ‘something appears ambiguous and vague, creating a sense that Thomas still isn't quite clear on what it is we are paying Winter's debts' with.The final stanza of ‘But these things also' begins to fill us with hope once more. The ‘chattering' birds create a sense of rising morale and the idea of keeping their ‘spirits up' sounds opti mistic. Despite this, when we eventually think that Thomas is going to make a definitive statement, ‘springs here' he reintroduces the feeling of ambiguity with the words Winter's not gone'. This leaves the poem with a sense of not knowing and uncertainty. This reminds us of Thomas tendency to never give absolutes and that he likes balancing a positive idea with a negative.This paradox leaves us with the idea that the winter is preventing the spring from arriving. Throughout the poem, there is a regular rhythm, given by the Iambic Tetrameter, which is occasionally shortened to show the indecisive and unclear seasons. There is never a climax during this poem due to it all being one long sentence. Roberts talks about Thomas use of enjambment and fluidity, which gives a sense of him thinking and working through his thoughts.

An Ironic Twist of the American Dream

The American dream was first expressed by James Truslow in 1931, â€Å"life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†. The American dream is never fully accomplished because all good things have to come to an end at one point or another as it does in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The American dream speaks for its meaning since any dream is far from reality. The American dream is based on perfectionism and Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, did anything for that as well as impossible is nothing, however if something is too good to be true than the chances are slim and you shouldnt try to change fate, or force it because it will only lead to harm. Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that perfection can and should be attained. In its pathological form, perfectionism is a belief that work or output which is anything less than perfect is unacceptable. At such levels, this is considered an unhealthy belief, and psychologists typically refer to such individuals as maladaptive perfectionists thus perfection is not normal. People like perfectionism because it is excellence and those like Gatsby strive for that eventhough it is impossible to get like when Gatsby describes his car as , a rich cream colour, with bright nickel, monstrous length, with triumphant hat boxes (page 51). The whole American Dream is based on idealism. Perfect things dont exist in the world: for instance, walls are not fully straight, and apples are never fully round. The Great Gatsby is a very good example of how perfection is not useful; just harmful. Gatsby wouldve been better off living his life which was near perfection because he almost had everything, there only was one imperfection: he did not possess Daisy. Perfect is too good to be true. In the middle of the 20th century an American heavy weight boxer, Muhammad Ali, informed the world that impossible is nothing, â€Å"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing. † It is possible for Gatsby to get Daisy but she is too good to be true. If its too good to be true than it is! Everything comes in that package. For example, if a car is sold for five thousand dollars less than another similar car then the car has something wrong with it. Daisy was the pro, and her other lover was the con. Fate is an important key to make decisions. Fate manipulates our life, it may also refer to, Destiny, which is an inevitable course of events. Destiny may be seen either as a sequence of events that is inevitable and unchangeable, or that individuals choose their own destiny by taking different paths throughout their life. In the sense of being unchangeable it is said that the different courses of action people take may still lead to a predetermined destiny. It is in human nature to go for things people cant get and when Gatsby went for Daisy, it was his fate but it was his decision that contradicted it, and eventually going against the flow. The American dream is near impossible to achieve because it is against fate. The American dream is only a dream that usually turns out in an ironic twist for the people that try to fulfil it. Perfectionism is utopic, its our psychology that thinks it exists. Everything is possible but when its against destinys will, and too great to be reality, dont go for it because it will lead to no good and is too good to be true. If one cant resist and goes for it then its just fate, people desire the impossible. Gatsbys fate wasnt strong enough to manipulate his want for Daisy. So is the American dream really worth it?