The following are from two, well, let's call them sources. The first half or so are from the rest of the papers on The Great Gatsby that I hadn't graded before the last post. The rest are from my senior class's papers on various short stories. As always, these are sentences taken verbatim from student work, and my comments are in the ( ).
The Great Gatsby: written by an author one student called F. Scoot Fitzgerald.
- The novel shows the life that a wealthy person lives and how they deal with cretin circumstances. (Leave it to the rich to deal with the cretin circumstances.)
- Gatsby has a mysterious past that is later reviled.
- Gatsby dropped out of St. Olaf's Collage. (That would be "college." St. Olaf is near Minneapolis / St. Paul.)
- Gatsby got rich by distributing illegal alcohol in stolen securities. (The real secret was how he got all that liquor into the securities.)
- The American Dream is not worth fighting for what one wants in a dream.
- Myrtle also throws parts, and has fancy cloths.
- The result is how the American dream is corrupt and the dream is left with an empty goal.
- This book has a lot of meaning to it. (How much is "a lot" of meaning?)
- Behind closed doors the American dream was unreachable. (So open the doors.)
- T.J. Eckleburg is not just a bill bored.
Senior Short Story Essays:
- She loses the ability to distinguish between reality and imaginary.
- Bambara teaches her characters a lesson. (I hate those unruly characters who don't learn their lessons.)
- Mrs. Mallard has just been told that her husband is died.
- She grew up on a farm that raised foxes. (The farmer just raised corn. He left the real work to the farm itself.)
- The story revalues completely around her.
- Characters are used to tell the full story in a piece of literature. (Without characters you only get half the story.)
- Her attitude towards herself and other people show her contradicting personality as a well-off girl.
- The design makes a desperate women.
- In the end, she is found to do what she sees that wallpaper.
- Without characters the story is simply a description of the setting.
- This draws curiosity to the reader. (Here, kitty, kitty.)
As a little aside here at the end I must say, one thing that annoys greatly is when students feel the need to state the obvious. They will say something like, "Without the characters there would be no story." As if there was any great danger that a story would be written without the characters. As if the author was in danger of forgetting to populate his plot. Until next time:
Jeremiah
4/29/09
4/20/09
Mostly Gatsby
I am half way through a large stack of grading, mostly dealing with The Great Gatsby. Here are some gems, and I can almost guarantee a fresh batch by the end of the week. I think the first one is the only one not pulled from a Gatsby assignment. As always, these are taken directly from student work. My comments are in ( ).
- Gretchen does not hold the perspective that is probable for her.
- (From the Department of Redundancy Department) ...that character will not be able to fully fulfill the intended purpose of the author.
- Gatsby getting killed was for the best. (Somehow I think he would disagree.)
- She is having drinks with her friends and her new dog. (I hope the dog doesn't drink too much. I hate drunk dogs.)
- People don't get what they always get. (Not even in context did this make sense.)
- (As to why the student read less than half of the novel:) Too long of chapters to read in one night, and trying to work, and find something to eat after work, and then read a 20 page chapter at 9:30 at night.
- I did like the novel because it was like a sope opera. (What is sope, anyway?)
- The book had a lot of deeper stuff in it you had to realize yourself.
- The people getting killed was cool.
- He said his parent lived in the city and that they were dead.
- Gatsby likes to have parties where everyone is invited and no invitation is needed.
- Tom is married to Daisy but he also has Myrtle in the background.
- Gatsby's dream is to be with Daisy aging. (I think "again" was the intended word.)
- When Myrtle is with Tom she almost crosses the line between her in the face. (?)
- Gatsby's fantasy life represents the American dream in a way because happiness occurs, rich, and the lady. (Kinda peters out there at the end, no?)
- Gatsby and Myrtle tried to illusion there own dream.
- Gatsby's money is earned by boat legging.
- The American dream is an achievement not worth achieving for.
- He soled alcohol.
- In Tom's case he has sex with poor people.
Well, that is it for now. I've got tons more to grade this week, so stay tuned.
Jeremiah
- Gretchen does not hold the perspective that is probable for her.
- (From the Department of Redundancy Department) ...that character will not be able to fully fulfill the intended purpose of the author.
- Gatsby getting killed was for the best. (Somehow I think he would disagree.)
- She is having drinks with her friends and her new dog. (I hope the dog doesn't drink too much. I hate drunk dogs.)
- People don't get what they always get. (Not even in context did this make sense.)
- (As to why the student read less than half of the novel:) Too long of chapters to read in one night, and trying to work, and find something to eat after work, and then read a 20 page chapter at 9:30 at night.
- I did like the novel because it was like a sope opera. (What is sope, anyway?)
- The book had a lot of deeper stuff in it you had to realize yourself.
- The people getting killed was cool.
- He said his parent lived in the city and that they were dead.
- Gatsby likes to have parties where everyone is invited and no invitation is needed.
- Tom is married to Daisy but he also has Myrtle in the background.
- Gatsby's dream is to be with Daisy aging. (I think "again" was the intended word.)
- When Myrtle is with Tom she almost crosses the line between her in the face. (?)
- Gatsby's fantasy life represents the American dream in a way because happiness occurs, rich, and the lady. (Kinda peters out there at the end, no?)
- Gatsby and Myrtle tried to illusion there own dream.
- Gatsby's money is earned by boat legging.
- The American dream is an achievement not worth achieving for.
- He soled alcohol.
- In Tom's case he has sex with poor people.
Well, that is it for now. I've got tons more to grade this week, so stay tuned.
Jeremiah
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