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**The Great Gatsby Context**  **Some Student Musings** Here's a useful contextual powerpoint. Thanks to the teacher who made it (not official MLA style referencing I know - for which I apologise).  The Great Gatsby

The Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age  - Caroline, Dario & Josiah Dario's Space. The Jazz Age. Dance music and jazz emerged during the 1920s. Jazz became popular thanks to the introduction of mainstream radio. Jazz was invented by the African Americans, but then it spread out to the middle-class White Americans. It (slightly) broke the boundaries between the Black American and the White Americans. NYC and Chicago were the cultural centers for Jazz. Jazz was also a way of rebellion for the 1920s youths to protest against traditional cultures. Charleston, One Step and Black Bottom were dances that emerged along with Jazz. Other dances that emerged were the Cubanola Glide, the Tango Argentino, and, of course, Swing. The most famous Jazz artists in this period were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Fats Waller. This style of expression was a way for the African Americans to enter the American cultural scene controlled by the Whites. F. Scott Fitzgerald even wrote a short story collection called //Tales of the Jazz Age// in 1922. Jazz was considered an evil influence on America’s young people. Jazz was blamed for everything, from unwed mothers to bootlegging. Despite certain opinions, Jazz was immensely popular. Thanks to the invention of the phonograph, the first Jazz albums were recorded. Small bands could be found anywhere, but Jazz emerged enormously in Chicago, mainly because all the best jazz bands were there.

HELLO THIS IS JOSIAH'S SPACE

JAZZ MUSIC AND AGE: - Jazz was the reaction to the dissonant, harsh music of the 20th century classical music. - Jazz is a fusion of BLACK American slave BLUES that originated from AFRICA and WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC from EUROPE - Jazz came into prominence of in the 20's because of a period called the roaring 20's. - Jazz can be defined as: PLAYING THE RIGHT WRONG NOTES. - Famous composers include ELINGTON (Berklee College of Music!), Thelonious Monk and MUCH MORE. - Since jazz was a reaction to classical music, everything about Jazz is the oposite of classical music. For example, the ensembles are very small in Jazz, the avoidance of scales and chords that belong to western classical muisc, and the idea of playing "wrong" notes. - Different areas in the States have a different styles of Jazz! Chicago was more smaller, virtuosic playing, while New York is known for it's big bands and big brass instruments.

ROARING 20's - Can be compared to the 1800's enlightenment period of Europe. New ideas flourished, prohibtion came about, social criticism was thriving and most of all the tolerance of of WOMEN and BLACKS. - Tolerance of WOMEN and BLACKS directly created Jazz because the Blues music of the Black slaves were tolerated and heard. When the white performers of classical music heard the Blues music of the Blacks, they fused it to create jazz. - BREAKING TRADITIONS, WORLD WAR 1 WAS OVER, IT IS A TIME TO CELEBRATE. (Except Europe messed up the peace treaty of World War 1 in Germany and directly caused WW2, doh!)

*CAROLINE* ROARING TWENTIES · __social, artistic, and cultural dynamism__ · began in leading __metropolitan centers__, especially Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Paris and London, then spread widely in the aftermath of World War I · United States gained __dominance in world finance....__ sustained __economic prosperity__ · general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity, __a break with traditions__ · Urbanization reached a climax in the 1920s · materialism. Consumerism · American in the 1920s became more enamored of wealth and everyday luxuries JAZZ AGE · introduction of mainstream radio · accredited to African Americans.. facilitated the __mesh of African American traditions and ideals with the white middle class society__ · __youth used__ the influence __of jazz to rebel__ against the traditional culture of previous generations · bold fashion statements (flappers) · equality __and free sexuality were very popular__ during the time and women seemed to capitalize during this period

CAITLIN: The American Dream encapsulates the idea that one can achieve their desires through hard work regardless of social class or birth circumstances… "early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise". However few will deny that the American Dream has become based around the "almighty dollar"… "the one who dies with the most toys wins". The concept of quick wealth has become the dream. This is relevant to the concept of old money vs. new money.

The characters of the Great Gatsby are driven by the idea of the American Dream. They cannot grasp the concept that the dream is an illusion and that is what makes it so attractive. The Great Gatsby focuses on the decline of the Amerian Dream in emphasizing "an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess".

Characters after the American Dream: - Jordan Baker - Myrtle WIlson - Tom Buchanan - Jay Gatsby!

Raoul

THE AMERICAN DREAM

The American Dream is an idea stemming from the possibility of wealth and success by moving to the United States of Uhmerica. For many migrants moving to the US, (particularly New York, where the first sight they would see was the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the American dream) they have great hope that they can prosper just as much when it comes to succeeding in this supposedly prosperous nation of the US & A.

In Gatsby, the American Dream is symbolised and satirised through Gatsby's character. He is a personification of the American Dream, however his methods of achieving this are questioned. To many people, he has made it, hit the big time, succeeded. However, his dubious methods cast shadows on the legitimacy of the 'Merican Dream. (SPOILER)When Gatsby dies at the end of the book, (SPOILER) it is a symbol for the death of the American Dream, and the harm that it will bring. All in all, the Great Gatsby is a very cynical text about the

Loui e armstrong

The American Dream predominantly stemmed from the belief that all men are equal. This belief led to the idea that everyone can become sucsessful in life with sufficient effort, based on the freedoms of religion and speech that America was founded on. Within The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is corrupted from the search for success in life to the materalism evident in many of the characters. Gatsby represents some of the corruption through the lavish parties he throws, where many people go but don't meet the host. Gatsby's rise to riches represents what many view as the 'American Dream', yet is contrary to the values that the American Dream was intially based on. With the rise of 'new wealth', the conflict between classes became more apparent, with

The Gr eat Depression - Veera Dom &Nomes

The stock market crashed on 29 Oct, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday.This led to investors losing huge sums of money and also crashed banks as they had invested much money into the stock market. People panicked and withdrew all their savings. Those that tried to withdraw their savings late went also bankrupt. As people cut back on spending, businesses went out of business and in turn laid off people. This led to a spiraling loss of jobs and output. Normally farmers would be exempt as they grew their own food. hwoever, at this time, there was a massive dust storm that destroyed loads of crops, leading to banks foreclosuring small farms and as the large farm farmers were also bakrupt due to no crops, all of them became desperately poor and homeless. Millions of people went crisscrossing across America in search for jobs, literally thousands fighting for a single job appointment. Lasted from 1929-1939 In 1933, over 60% of Americans were categorised as 'poor' 13 million people became unemployed. In 1932, 34 million people belonged to families with no regular full-time wage earner. Full nominal GDP rose, but GDP per capita dropped - rich got richer, poor got poorer. During the late 1930s, more women started working because men went off to war. New York social workers reported that 25% of all schoolchildren were malnourished. In the mining counties of West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, the proportion of malnourished children was perhaps as high as 90% Did you know that for millions of people in America, soup kitchens provided the only food they would see all day? They were that poor :O Did you know that the Republican President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), declared in March 1930 that the U.S. had “passed the worst” and said the economy would sort itself out. He had no idea that the great depression was right round the corner and the worst was only just to come and last for the next 9 years, until the start of the second world war in 1939? People who lost their homes often lived in what were called “Hoovervilles,” Get it..? People didn’t like him much after he said everything would get better and it didn’t. these are some more phrases used during the great depression: “Hoover Stew” (food dished out in soup kitchens), “Hoover Blankets” (newspapers that served as blankets), “Hoover Hogs” (jack rabbits used as food), “Hoover Wagons” (broken cars that were pulled by mules). The Great Depression started because of the Wall Street crash in 1929, it occured over a number of days which is why it has different names such as "Black Thursday", "Black Monday" and "Black Tuesday", they're all correct, the tuesday one however was the worst as $14 billion was lost that day :O

Prohibition - Derek, Shannon and John

SHANNON - Prohibition of the 1920s was known as the “Noble Experiment” - Alcohol associated with gambling, prostitution, and police corruption - Prohibition intended to lower crime and corruption - Fourteen years in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor was made illegal - By 1916, over half of the United States prohibited alcohol - even before the 18th Amedment had been instated. - 18th Amendment went into affect on January 16th, 1920

EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT: **Section 1.** After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. **Section 2.** The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. **Section 3.** This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

- 18th Amendment did not specifically outlaw the act of drinking liquor - personal use of alcohol still legal. - The 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933: The first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. - During Prohibition, a "new breed" of gangsters arose, responding to the great demand of alcohol - Gangsters would smuggle in alcohol from Canada and Carribean and - Open speakeasies (illegal bars) to serve. AL CAPONE - During the Prohibtion period, half of the police were on the gangsters payroll - Underqualified and underpaid Prohibition agents -> High rates of bribery

__REPEAL:__ - Stock market crash and The Great Depression - Making alcohol legal again offered more job opportunities, while additional alcohol taxes provided the government with money. - 21st Amendment instated.

DeReK During the 1920's the manufacture, transportation, import, export and sale of alcoholic beverages were restricted or illegal. This was for the purpose of lowering crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes and improve health/hygiene.

In January 16, 1920, the law was enforced in the 18th Amendment. However this made alcohol drinking more dangerous as people started smuggling it into the country, and others were hosting "speakeasies" (illegal nightclubs) and private bars. Although Prohibition only banned manufacturing, sale and transport of alcohol, those who possess alcohol before the law was enforced were able to continue to serve and possess it throughout the prohibition period legally.

Every year, repeal organizations and demand for a repeal increased. It was in 1933 that some of the laws in the 18th Amendment. Only some states still followed the prohibition. By 1966, all states had fully repealed their Prohibition laws.

In context with The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's wealth is apparently due to bootlegging (rum-running, smuggling/transporting alcoholic beverages). Despite the book being set within the Prohibition era, people drinking expensive champagne and alcohol is conspicuously portrayed throughout the book. This gives us an insight into the 1920's through Fitzgerald's novel, as not all the wealthy were affected by the prohibition.

"Jay Gatsby spent a number of years trying to establish himself so that Daisy would approve of him. Little did he know that no matter how much money he made, she would never love him. He wasn’t rich. Gatsby became a part of one of the largest money making endeavors of the 1920s. He became a bootlegger. The Volstead Act was passed in the summer of 1919. As a result, sale and distribution of alcohol became illegal. The social climate of the era did not respond to this regulation. Many people became involved in an underground movement to sell and distribute alcoholic beveratges. Through these illegal operations, Jay Gatsby was able to obtain enough money to purchase a home just across the bay from Daisy. His mysterious connections with Meyer Wolfshiem leave the reader with questions of the extent of Gatsby’s involvement with the attempts to smuggle and consume alcohol in the 1920s." - []

Information on the 1920's Prohibition Era: []

Some more good contextual background reading can be done here: []


 * And now for some contextual images... ** Namely images of gangsters. To what extent was Gatsby a gangster? And to what extent did he accumulate his wealth through nefarious means?